Ice Cold Princess
by nads6969
Summary: Have you ever heard of a princess that denounces the love between a man and a woman? How about a talking tree whose daughter is a Royal Scribe? Discover what transgressed on the moon a millenia ago between Darien and Serena.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the Brain Child of Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha + Toei Animation

The Ice Cold Princess:

The Moon Saga: Prologue

By Sailor Nena

In the beginning, there was Princess Serenity, mother of the famous Moon Princess I am sure my reader knows so well. Serenity was very beautiful in her youth; she was beautiful enough to catch the eyes of a young and handsome Prince of a distant galaxy. At the time of their meeting, Serenity was only fifteen years of age and full of ideals and fairy tale stories of love, so when the young Prince claimed to be in love with her, she decided to believe she was also in love with him. This was the beginning of a tragic love story.

Before I go any further, I must warn you that the story I am about to recite is not about Queen Serenity s love life. The reason I include it in the introduction of this book is that it is relevant to the story of our Princess. I should also explain who I am, and what right I have to say my account is the only true version of the Princess s life on the Moon and on Earth. I am Sailor Nena, daughter of the Story Tree. I was born of my mother like Anne and Allen were born of the Tree of Life. My only mission in life is to follow our Princess and record her life. Two years before her birth, I was born with a quill on my right hand and this book on my left. My quill allows me to add any needed explanation, like this one, to the book after I am done. At the time I edit this, I am sixteen years old and have been reborn a human. The paragraph before and the one that follows were written when I was but a day old and still living on the Moon. The story of the Queen s first love was told to me by my mother nearly two years after the events took place. Time may have damaged them, but my retelling has tried to keep them as accurate as possible. Please read and try to understand what took place.

The Prince s name was Neffarious. He was the perfect example of what a prince should look like; he had golden blond hair and ice cold eyes. His smile had something hidden in its darkest grin, and his height and broad shoulders made him look like the perfect protector for any young princess. They were introduced at Serenity s birthday party. He seem to prefer her company to any of the other girls . Her father did not like this. He suspected something foul in this young man, like most father s suspect in any young man that becomes his daughter s suitor. The Princess, on the other hand, was charmed by this young man that seemed to encircle her with his smile.

Like most royal celebrations of the time, the birthday party lasted over three nights, and in every night, Prince Naffarious had secured the first and last dance, not to mention, any he could seize in between. All the royal families agreed: they made a wonderful couple. In fact, there was only one man in the known universe that did not approve this pair; it was the Princess s own father, King Sagacious. As it was mentioned before, he was not going to give away his baby girl to just anyone. He had raised her himself after her mother, Queen Serene, died in child labor. He did his best to keep his daughter from the hands of this young ruffian, but with the Earth uniting into one kingdom, he was too busy with foreign affairs to keep a close eye on the young Princess.

The Prince only stayed there a week, but in that week he nearly managed to destroy the Silver Millenium and any chance of a happy future for anyone in the universe. It seems nearly impossible for one man to do all this, but I remind my reader that we are also dealing with the most powerful thing in all of the universe, love. Every night Prince Neffarious would draw Serenity into the farthest garden and talk sweetly to the Princess. With every passing hour the Princess allowed herself to be convinced that she too loved him. What else could we expect from this sheltered Princess, whose only knowledge of love came from the bias views of fairy tales, where all Princes are charming and good?

Finally, on the big day, Neffarious proposed to Serenity. She readily accepted, as she thought was her duty. As she did, the skies broke open and released every thunder clash and lightning bolt it could find upon the unaware Moon. They made plans of eloping. Serenity was filled with such excitement for the adventure that she never questioned if she was doing the right thing. Of course in a castle that size, it was impossible for anything to be kept a secrete for long. The King found out and jailed the Prince. Serenity, infuriated, confronted her father. She screamed, hissed, and, yes, even cursed at her father. That is, she did until she realized that her father was not alone in the room.

Prince Guile was visiting Serenity s father in hopes of receiving a clear account of what had happened on the Earth. He was incredibly refreshed to see a Princess that fought for her love. It was the perfect ingredient in a monarch, or at least that was his opinion at the time. Then again, what of her was not perfect? Her eyes ere as clear and blue as water; her hair reminded him of threads made of the purest gold, and her mouth was a delicate flower, softly red with a touch of nectar. With all this, she still had something Guile valued more; she was intelligent. Unlike most Princesses, you could hold an intelligent conversation with her for over thirty seconds.

When Serenity was sent out of the room by her father, Guile began to argue her case. His eloquence was worldly, his argument, heartwarming, and his emotions were badly concealed. His majesty, the King, quickly understood the real reason for Guile s action. He loved Serenity so much that he would rather see her with another man than suffer. Sagacious saw another suitor at the door, but unlike the first, he was gentle, good, and truly in love. To prove a point, the King took Guile to the Prince s cell only to prove that Neffarious defined his name. Neffarious agreed to leave the Princess alone if he received a large sum of money and was allowed to leave without this incident or the deal being exposed.

Guile was horrified by this. This man that had the love of the perfect woman in creation, traded it all for a good reputation and some spare change. Was there any hope for Love with nefarious men like Neffarious in the universe. He did the best he could to save Love s reputation in the heart of Serenity. He became a close friend, and Serenity welcomed Guile s steady dull manner over Neffarious s passionate restless behavior. After a month, Guile left to complete his military training and promised to return.

In the three months of Prince Guile s absence, the Princess changed. It was not a radical change that left everyone worried. It was more like a young flower spreading its last petals to reach its full bloom. She spent her days by her father s side learning how to be a proper ruler. She found that her "Fairy Books" lacked this important information. Her behavior towards the opposite sex also change. She no longer waited for her "Prince in Shining Armor" to sweep her of her feet. She now looked for an equal partner that would be good company and an efficient king.

Prince Guile had heard of this change, but he did not believe it until he saw it himself. He was proud that she would no longer be taken as a lovesick fool, but a competent young woman. Their afternoon walks resumed and without realizing it, so did their love. He adored her so much that he feared pushing her away with a proposition. On the other hand, she loved him so, that she feared losing him to anyone. She was forced to make her first real decision of her life.

Two weeks after he returned, Serenity threw pebbles at his window during the night. When he looked out she told him that she needed to talk to him. He rushed to her side, and they walked together to the serene lake, just in front of the castle. There she kneeled on her right knee, took out a diamond ring, and proposed. After thirty seconds of shock, he quickly accepted.

They informed the King immediately, and the wedding was held in a few months. All in the known universe were invited, except our previous Prince. The wedding was the social event of the season. The king and Queen of Earth also made their first appearance with their first born son, Darien of one year of age. It was now accepted throughout the universe that the humans of Earth were now under one crown, and that crown belonged to King Altruest and Queen Perceptimine. Serenity and Perceptimine quickly became friends, but their busy lives did not allow for many visits.

Three years latter our Princess was born. Like all her female ancestors on her mother s side, she was named after the first woman to ever live on the moon, Serenity of the Moon. Yes I know it is hard to believe, but for countless generations the Moon Kingdom has been ruled by the first born child (male or female), and ever since the first monarch, it has always been female. The shorten version of her name was Serena (it is so much easier to have a difference in the name), and she was a beautiful baby with eyes the color of the sea, and hair more radiant than the sun. Her cheeks were always rosy, and her lips were as red as the reddest rose.

Here I end my first chapter, and here begins my second. Serena s childhood had only a few, but important, events worth mentioning, and if you care to turn the page, I will relate them to you, beginning with how she met her scouts.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is a trademark of Toie Animation and Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha

The Ice Cold Princess:

The Moon Saga: Part I

By Sailor Nena

The year our dear princess was born was also the year four other great Princesses were born. The first was Lady Aims of Mercury, a planet known for its great vast knowledge. Nothing happens that is not recorded in Mercury s great library. She was a beautiful baby with short blue hair, which is quite common among Mercurians, and navy blue eyes. She was shy but warm and loving at the same time. No one can deny that this princess had the brains required to rule her planet, but since she was second born, she could not. Her older sister appointed her as her highest adviser instead.

A month later, Mars received its first princess in twelve generations. Her parents named her Ray because she was their sunshine. She quickly learned the family business of war, for Martians generally seek honor in war by righting the wrongs of the universe. Her dark eyes and hair went along with the air of mystery she possessed, and among all this, she had a trying temper. The only thing that ever soothed her was music, so it was not surprising she took interest in it at an early age.

Just a few hours after Ray s birth, Jupiter s thunder collected in front of the Roaring Castle, as it was called, to welcome the birth of the second princess. Unfortunately, the Queen died at child labor and left the child at the care of her eldest son, King Thundatious, who named the new born princess after her mother, Lita. Lita inherited her father s strength and appetite. She wore her hair in a pony tail for convenience, very unusual in princesses of the time. From her mother she inherited her soft brown hair and dark eyes. Her brother, who had inherited the thrown after his father was assassinated by an escaped member of the Negaverse, loved her as his own daughter. It wasn t surprising that Lita called him Papi (Spanish for daddy) until she was old enough to understand he wasn t.

The last was born Three months after Lita and three before Serena. She was the result of a love romance between her mother, Queen of Venous, and the captain of the Guard. The couple was so happy that no one could ever separate them (the Queen s eldest son could call the marriage invalid if the Queen did not bear a child). Now, the child had won over her older half-brother, so they gave her the tittle of Goddess of Love. As a birthday present her brother named her Mina, after his most beloved song (Mina Empress of my Heart). Like all Venetian, she was a loving creature with an admirable knowledge of love. She understood not the whys but the ways, so Mina s love advise was always right as long as the question wasn t "Why must love hurt so much?"

These four princess met Serena three years later at Serena s first ball. They quickly became close friends and swore eternal loyalty to one another. Even at such a young age, they knew the importance of friendship, and valued its power. They were also the most notorious of the Silver Moon Castle. Together they played pranks on the snobbish princes, let the dogs loose on an unsuspecting teacher, and convinced the head maid, an old white hair which, that the young gardener, who was petrified of her, was really madly in love with her. This last action nearly destroyed the castle as the old woman chased her supposed lover to the ends of the Moon.

The King and Queen were very happy to see that their little girl had made such lively young friend, even if it meant losing their best maid. The happiness didn t last long. On Serena s fourth birthday party, the now King Neffarious attacked the unknowing Moon. The party was broken up as Neffarious took revenge upon the defenseless Serena. He hated that Guile had married Serenity and had joined his small empire with the Moon Kingdom, that she had married him not even a year after he had stolen Serenity s heart, but most of all, he hated that their vow of love had been sealed with a beautiful child.

Neffarious s army charged the palace while he entered the ball room. With a swift movement he took out his sword and pointed it straight at Guile s heart. "This time," he began, "I ll be the one who steals the last laughed!"

"You know you can t win, Nefarious!" King Guile began, "Our forces are much stronger than yours" Nefarious began to laugh wickedly,

"But I have something YOU don t!" With a quick swift movement, Neffarious took hold of Serena s arm,who was trying to exist the ball room with her friends when the battle began.

"Nooooooooo!" Serenity cried as Neffarious rose his sword to Serena s neck. "Leave her alone!

"You re in no position to order me Serenity!" and with an evil grin he added, "You never were! But if you want to see your DEAR baby girl again, you won t fallow me."

"Mummy!" Serena cried in despair as Neffarious forced her outside into the pouring thundering rain.

"Serena! NOOOOOOOOO!" Serenity screamed at the sight. No one seemed to move, that is no one except six young people. The first was a young solider by the name of Jedite. He was fourteen years old and full of visions of glory. He hoped to become somebody through his hard work, but at this time, all he could think of was his duty to the princess. He rushed after them with one thought in mind, "she needs my help!"

The next four were Serena s own friends. Between the four of them, they believed to be able to save her. Lady Aims came up with a plan; Ray used her knowledge of the Sacred Flame to locate her. Lita calmed the thunder in their path, and Mina led them into battle. When this was settle, they joined hands and filled with excitement screamed, "Planet Power Arise" which was the intergalactic battle cry, and ran into the starless night.

The last was none other than Prince Darien of Earth. Only ten years old, he was filled with a hunger for adventure, and what adventure is greater than saving a princess? He took his sword and followed the King under the thundering night. If he did save the Princess, which he was sure he would, he would also prove to his parents that he was a big boy that didn t need to take any military lessons from an old general.

Serena had been drag through the gardens she knew so well to their solitary end. Here the gardener had a big empty box to keep any extra tools he may no longer need and which he never used. It was in this pace Neffarious decided to talk to the young princess. He sat on the box and forced the princess on his lap. She struggled in Vain.

"Do you know why I brought you here?"

"No, and I don t care! Let me go!" the princess responded. She was scared, but not willing to show it.

"You are as defiant as your mother. Did you know that?" The rain was pouring down on the poor princess. She was completely drenched partly from the rain and partly from the tears that had finally began to surface. Her fear formed into a huge ball in her throat that prevented her from speaking. "Do you want to know why I m doing this?" She could only nod in response, "Because I love you and want to marry you my dear."

"Is this guy crazy? " Serena thought. "How can he love me if he is hurting me? " He seemed to be able to read her thoughts,

"I don t want to hurt you, I just want you to give me the Lunar Love Promise. I want you to promise me that no matter what you will marry me, and only me!" He emphasized the last "me". He wished that he had known about the sacred promise when he courted the Queen. If he had, none of this would be necessary.

"No." a small whisper came to him through the thunder.

"What did you say princess?" Serena mustered up all her courage and with a strong defiant voice answered,

"NO! I will never love a ugly old man like you! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" Neffarious picked up his sword and put it to her neck.

"I m not sure you understood Princess. Either you promise, or you die" A thunder clashed as he responded in a chilling calm voice. Serena s eye s were filled with fear.

"Unhand her you ruffian!" A voiced screamed through the loud thunder. Neffarious turned to see Prince Darien with his sword drawn.

"Ha, does the valiant prince thinks he has a chance against me? Haven t you noticed that I am bigger than you?"

"I m not afraid!" Darien answered as he longed straight at him with his sword. In one swift move the King deflected Darien s blow, and sent the poor boy crashing against a tree.

"Noooooooooo!" The princess screamed as she saw her only hope of escape break his nose.

"Didn t you here him?" Neffarious turned to the new voice. "He said to unhand her!"

"And didn t you see what happened to him?" Neffarious laughed at his new opponent, "I ll gladly do the same to you solider!" Neffarious lifted his sword and began to charge dragging Serena behind him. Jedite blocked the first attack by pure luck. It was raining so hard that Neffarious didn t see were he was going. He missed Jedite and found Derien s sword in his arm. The two boys joined forces and prepared to attack, when Neffarious put Serena in fort of him as a shield. He was wounded now and couldn t take any chances.

"Throw your swords away. NOWWWWW!" he barked. The boys did as they were told. He laughed and threw Serena into the box and locked it. "Now its might turn"

Serena began to kick and scream, but all she could hear was the thunder mixed with the boys bloody screams. Suddenly they stopped. She began to bang harder, but so did the thunder. Louder and louder, closer and closer, she began to scream at the top of her lungs for Lita. She needed the thunder to stop. If the thunder would stop then maybe everything would be all right again.

"I call upon the fire of Mars to punish you!" Neffarious turned from the boys he had just smashed into the gate, "I, its highest priestess, call upon it to curse you! May you never see happiness again!" The source of the voice did a flip towards Neffarious and smashed a small piece of paper with writing on his forehead.

"Arggggggg!" Neffarious screeched as a small fist hit him in the stomach. "Who are you?"

"I am Thunder! Hear me roar!" A loud husky female voice answered him. "I call upon Jupiter s Thunder to finish you!" As she said this, the thunder grew louder and closer. Serena screamed louder and kicked harder. She wanted out now! With her rising screams another form ran through the gardens and, using her knowledge of anatomy, pushed Neffarious in such a way that he was forced to the ground. He looked up to see the form looking down at him.

"With the knowledge of Mercury, I will defeat you!" she declared. He grabbed her foot and pulled it off the ground. She fell with a loud scream. The rain fell hard upon her face as she saw him standing over her with his sword, blade down, over his head.

"No little girl. I, with no planet s help, will defeat you!" Neffarious mocked. The others stood helpless at the sight. Suddenly, a little girl punched the back of his kneecap causing him to fall on his back. She kicked his sword away, kicked his side and said,

"With the power of love and Venous and the strength of my friends help, we WILL defeated you!" She announced. The boys grabbed his arms, Jupiter and Mars his legs. Mercury pointed to a spot on his stomach, and Venous jumped with all her might on it.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Neffarious screeched in pain. His new-found adrenaline gave him the strength to free his arms and legs throwing the children against the trees. He grabbed Venous, who was the only spared from the throw. A thunder clash broke through the storming night. Serena screamed harder. He placed his hand around her neck.

"Prepare to die love child!" He began to squeeze her neck when a white rose hit his hand. He let go in shock.

"Picking on defenseless children again Neffarious!" Neffarious turned to see his newest attacker. He was a tall man with golden brown hair and a white tuxedo that matched his eyes standing on a tree branch. It was King Guile dressed for battle.

"You know they are not defenseless, and neither am I." He was going to grab one of the children when suddenly, a glowing discuss came flying through the gardens straight at his stomach. He was thrown asleep as Queen Serenity dressed as Sailor Moon appeared. She too was dressed for battle.

"Where is my daughter?" She asked nervously. Darien pointed at the box.

Serena had kicked and screamed all through the fight, and all she got in response were very loud thunderclaps. She hated the thunder now. Her face was wet with tears. She screamed for help, but the thunder swallowed her voice. There was barely any air left in the box, and the small princes was chaotic. With barely any strength left she hit the cover of the box one last time to see it open.

"Daddy?" she choked. He picked her up in his arms. Soothingly patting her on the back. The rain poured down on them harshly. She turned to look at her friend, who had been so brave for her. A week smile was all she could give them. Her mother took her arms, and together they approached Neffarious.

"This is not over Guile!" he began.

"Your army has been defeated and you are dying. Yes it is!" Guile suddenly put his arm around Serenity and pushed her and their daughter closer. For some strange reason, Neffareous s look worried him.

"Challame," Neffareous began with an evil laugh, "hamanati, curucu, gods of evil and hate curse this child by my grace!"

"Noooo!" The King and Queen cried unison

"It s ...tooo... late! It might have taken my last strength, but...BUT your daughter... she will die before she can truly find love." With his final words, a loud thunder clasp roared in the sky leaving the tremulous sky in Pandemonium. The princess shrieked. Lita realizing that she could stop the down pour and calm the sky, let out a wave of energy that did. She only wished she had done it sooner, so they could have heard what Neffarious had said.

"You asked to see us?" Jedite asked the king. The king turned to see a straight line of six heroic figures.

"Yes I did!" he began, "First of all, you six were very irresponsible to leave the ball without anyone knowing. If it wasn t for Luna and Artimis...I don t know what would have happened!" They were back at the caste,in front of Serena s bedroom, to be exact. All the children had been treated by their personal physicians, bathed, and changed into clean, dry, unripped clothes. The door was slightly ajar, and Ray leaned on her side to try and get a peak. "She is fine." The king startled her. "Thank the heavens, she s fine."

"Lord," Mina began, " don t yell at the girls. It was my fault. I convinced them to go."

"But they went." She was willing, at such a young age to take responsibility for her actions, a clear sign of leadership. "Second of all, you challenge Neffarious by yourselves. What were you thinking?" He was yelling now, "He could have killed you! I m surprised you are still alive..."

"I m surprised they manage to do so much damage!" The king was interrupted by his wife as she came out of the room. Darien was able to get one quick glance at the princess sleeping serenely in her warm bed. " She s asleep, the Queen explained." She looked at her six little heroes. "Don t you think they received enough yelling from their parents?" She looked at her husband who nodded. "You six were very irresponsible tonight, but heroic none the less. Jedite," he stood forward, "For your bravery tonight, I promote you to my daughter s personal guard. A position so important, until tonight we did not find a solider brave enough for it." A smile formed on Jedite s lips. "Starting tomorrow you will report only to my husband and me. Do you understand?" He nodded in response, "Darien."

"Y m lady" his pronunciation was a bit funny. Between the broken nose and the bandage that now covered it he could barely speak.

"You were wounded for my daughter, for this we are for ever grateful to you. You can consider the moon your second home. I grant you the Silver Moon Promise of Friendship. Your planet will never find an enemy in the Moon as long as your family lawfully rules the planet."

"Tan cue." He could barely speak.

"Princesses, you four managed to work as a team tonight, and as a team you will remain. From now own you will stay on the moon with Serena and attend the Lunar Academy. You are the next generation of Sailor Scouts." The Queen turn to see the glowing expressions in the girls eyes. "Any questions?" Darien stepped forward,

"Could his ma es y the ing show m the wose ick?" The king looked down at him in confusion,

"You mean you still haven t covered the rose throwing lesson in your military schooling. You ll cover it soon. Don t worry, you ll learn then."

"Mina..." the queen began, "is your mother waiting?"

"Yes." she answered.

"You may all go and sleep now. Jedite, you will start tomorrow." They bowed and exited.

"I was worried we were going to get punished even further. It would have been dishonorable." Ray explained.

"Instead we get rewarded." Mina s continued

"Yeah," Lita took over, "and we get to stay with Serena all year long.

"This is the best ending possible." Jedite added.

"No it isn t." Everyone turned to face Aims, "It is the best beginning!" They all laughed and went to their rooms.

"So Queen Venus, was he lying?" Serenity begged quietly. Since the curse placed on Serena was of love, Venus was the logical person to call. She looked up from a crystal ball that had different colored gasses swirling throughout.

"Not exactly." was her only response.

"What do you mean, not exactly? Either he did or he didn t!" the queen was near insanity.

"Calm down Serenity, and trust me." Venus soothed. They were in the Crystal Room. It was located far from the palace at the other end of the lake. It was a room made of crystals. In fact there was nothing in that room that was not made of one crystal or another. The chairs, the floor, the tapestries were all made of crystals, and in the center of the room, sitting on a crystal pillow was the Silver Imperial Crystal. Serenity walked to it and asked slowly,

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Serena will know love, but will dye before they can join together in the most sacred act of love, but that s not the end."

"How is death not the end?" Serenity asked confused

"They will have a several chances at life." She looked up as Serenity and smiled "Love is the strongest thing in the universe, but these ancient demons are very powerful. They will try to kill the two, but in the end their love will win, but..."

"But we won t see that day." Guile finished.

"To hurt the princess after all the blessings she has received you first must destroy the Silver Millennium. The Princess and her Prince will not be able to seal their love until it is restored."

"So there is still hope." Serenity said as Guile put his arms around her.

"My dear Serenity, there is always hope." Venus consoled, "Now, another thing this curse has done is to irritate the tear between the Negaverse and the Universe."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Guile asked in surprise.

"It means that the Negaverse can cross over and attack!" Venus answered, "We must be on our guard. The strange thing is, the Negaverse has nothing to do with the princess. She was born after it was cast away."

"So?" the queen asked.

"Why did this curse affect it?"

Six years past rather routinely. Jedite was promoted as General of the Silver Imperial Army, even though his main job still consisted in protecting Serena. The girls went to school, and Serena discovered she was a natural fighter. Mina was promoted to General of the Scouts, and Darien continued his military training quite well. His favorite move consisted of throwing a red rose at his appointed.

A few months before Serena s birthday, Darien was sent to visit the Moon family. It was around this time that a Tear (an opening between the Negaverse and the universe) was detected near the edge of the galaxy. It was in the same place the family was going to see the Lucious Merger. It was a natural phenomenon that involve stars colliding into each other to form planets. When they did this, huge amounts of energy was released in the form of colorful light. Thinking of Serena s welfare, it was decided she was going to stay behind. No one was told the real reason, and this family trip took up the clandestine mission.

"I have no idea what to do."

"Is there a problem King Guile?"

"Yes Darien there is. My wife and I can t seem to get out of this trip, and with the scouts at home on leave, Serena will be left defenseless."

"What about Jedite?"

"Being general makes him a required person on the trip. He ll make sure the crowed doesn t get out of hand."

"What about Luna and Artimis?"

"My wives kittens? They are very brave and loyal, but I m afraid that they wouldn t be much of a challenge against an assassin." Suddenly Darien saw an opening. He hated the Lucious Merger because it was so far away, and a favor to the Moon King is always a good thing to do.

"I could stay behind if you wish."

"You, Darien?"

"Yes, I ve already seen it, and I wouldn t mind a rest before my trip home."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course." Guile couldn t believe his luck. He had managed to keep both royals out of trouble without revealing the secrecy of the mission.

On the night everyone left, the worst storm in six years broke loose on the moon. Darien was in his room preparing for the big ball that was to be held at the return of the monarchs. He was wearing a black tuxedo and trying on different masks. Finally he got to his favorite.

"I like this one the best." He informed the two cats laying on the bed, "But it s so simple that mom never lets me wear it."

"That s a shame." Artimus replied.

"I agree. It looks great on you." Luna encouraged.

At that moment a loud thunder clash broke through the sky. The princess woke in such a loud scream that Darien heard it from his room.

"What was that?" he asked helplessly.

"It was just Serena." Luna tried to calm him, "She is scared to death of thunder. In fact, I think I ll go soothe her right now."

"No!" Darien stopped her. "Something doesn t feel right. I ll go." He didn t bother to take off his favorite mask. He just walked down the hall.

Serena had woken up in the middle of the thunder in an empty dark room. She had cried for her mommy, but no one came. She got up, stopped crying, and started walking to her parents room. Every time she heard the thunder, she would stop in her tracks, hold her breath and close her eyes until she though it was safe again. The castle was too quiet and the thunder echoed from every wall. When she finally reached her parents room, she was horrified to find it empty. Suddenly she felt as if she was in that box again. The thunder grew louder. She screamed in fear and ran to the entrance. Darien heard her scream and followed it. He yelled after her, but in the confusion of her mind she could only hear him screaming in pain. He was quick in catching up to her. She was full of fear and lonely. Finally she reached the front door, and just as she was about to open it, he reached her. In her mind she saw the box s door opening and her father in a tuxedo and a mask standing in front of her, only this time, it wasn t her father. She broke down crying as he took her into his arms. He held her close to him for a moment, then he picked her up and took her to her room. There he soothingly stayed by her side all night long. He made her feel so secure that for the first time since that dreadful night, no mater how hard the thunder banged, she was not afraid.

The next day her parents arrived from a successful fight against the Negaverse. She told them of the mysteriously masked tuxedo-man that had stayed with her all night. Her parents thought she had created a new imaginary friend. In her heart Serena knew it was more.

Darien left soon after. He had little contact with the moon family for the next four years, when rumors of Serena s beauty and cold manner reached the ends of the universe. It was well known that she didn t believe that love between a man and a woman was possible, and that the only loves that existed were friendship and family. There seemed to be no one in the universe that could tame that loveless heart.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: OK, this is the part everyone knows by heart...Sailor Moon is a trademark of Toie Animation + Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha

The Ice Cold Princess:

The Moon Saga: Part II

by Sailor Nena

"But mom!"

"Darien, don t whine!" Queen Perceptimine hissed. They were in Derien s room, which was as big as three spacious four room apartment. Against one wall was a king size bed with a blue and white silk quilt on top. The walls were painted a very light gold and the ceiling a light blue. This combination reminded Darien of his favorite thing on Earth, a sunset. His mother sat on his terrace s wine colored velvet chair. "It does not become you." She began again. "I don t understand why you refuse to go. It s just one ball!"

"Who s whining now?" He teased.

"Darien don t start!" She gave one last look at her son. "Fine, you win."

"Thanks mom. I knew you would understand." Darien walked to his mother and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"I ll just send your brother, Marcos, instead."

"Mom, are you crazy? You can t send Marcos to the Moon! He ll probably destroy the place in two minutes!" Darien cried exasperated.

"Well, I have to send one of my sons to this glorious occasion, and since you don t want to go..." Perceptimine reasoned.

"No you don t. Just say we all came down with the flue."

"Why would she do that? She has a willing son right here." Marcos informed Darien as he came in. He closed the door behind him, walk straight to Darien s wall to wall mirror, gave himself an approving glance and said, "You know bro., for being 20, you surely act like a five year old."

"You know bro., for being 16, you really act like a three year old." Darien retorted. "Besides, what do you know about acting your age?"

"I know that I can get away with flirting with a beautiful princess at the ball, but you re such a party pooper that you probably won t let me." Marcos whined

"That s because you re a spoiled brat." Darien informed him with a giggle.

"Mama s boy!" Marcos just had to retaliate.

"Idiot!" Darien couldn t let him have the last word.

"Empty pants!"

"O0000hhhhh, below the belt, cry baby!"

"Chicken legs!"

"Skinny sticks!"

"Am not!"

"ARE TOOO!"

"NOOOO!"

"Yeeeeeeeeeeessssssssss!"

"That s enough you two!" Perceptimine was usually light hearted about her sons immature arguments, but this time she had had enough, "I cannot stand your constant bickering any more! You two are going to behave like adults from now on! Is that understood?"

"Yes mom." The two responded in unison. The Queen took a deep breath,

"Good. Now, Darien, you are going to go the Moon ball and have a good time weather you like it or not! Is that understood?"

"But..."

"There shall be no ifs or buts about it!" Marcos started to laugh.

"She s got you whipped man!" he giggled.

"As for you young man," Marcos stopped laughing as he saw his mother seriously turning towards him, "You will attend all you classes and start acting like the Prince of Earth before noon today or you will have no balls for the rest of the season."

"But mom..."

"I said there would be no buts." Perceptimine responded much calmer. The two young men sat down at Derien s desk, which was a fine oak antique that had belonged to the first King of Earth. It had been a birthday present from his parents. He knew it was meant to encourage him in his activities of future king, but he preferred to use it as a scapegoat for when his mother became strict. She approached the desk. "Darien, you have always confided in me, please don t push me away now that my gray hairs are coming. Why don t you want to go my son?"

"Mom...Is just...is just that I don t like what they say about her anymore." Perceptimine turn around and headed for the door.

"I don t believe you! You knew her well." Her tone was cold and tinged with disappointment. "How can you let a rumor like that stop you from maintaining your planet s health. You know it will not look right if you do not attend. We might even make a few enemies, and you are willing to risk it all because some two-time princess s claims that she does not believe in love between a man and a woman!"

"Mother it s more than that!" He was infuriated now, "As human, we only have one thing that sets us apart from the rest of the galaxy! Mercury has its knowledge; Mars has its warriors, and we have the ability to fall in complete love . We can freely and unwillingly give our hearts to one person! Not even Venus has that ability! By denying that such a love exists, she is claiming that the reason for human existence is a lie." He calmed down now as a single tear fell down his cheek. "I can t let her do that to my people mother. I can t let her murder them in such a fashion." His mother approached him. Giving her a weak smile she whipped of his tear.

"Then teach her son. Teach her to love."

"Can such a thing be done mother? Can anyone touch that stoned heart?"

"You ll never know unless you try." She hugged her son. She understood him better than anyone. She knew this is what he had wanted to do since the beginning; all he needed was a little encouragement. "Show her why nothing is more powerful than love."

"I will mother. I will!" Her eyes filled with tears of pride. She knew he loved her. He had fallen in love with her four years ago when he had soothed her to sleep that thundering night. She was too young then, and he would never admit that he had lost his heart. Now, for the first time in four years, he was going to see her again, and this time, she was sure, he wasn t going to leave at dawn.

"Another reception, another bunch of air headed princes that can t keep their hands to themselves!" A blond girl remarked

"Chin up Princess. Maybe this time you will find the one your heart belongs to." Her companion encouraged.

"My dear Venus, you should know by now that I don t believe in that type of love."

"How can you say that to me, the Goddess of Love, knowing very much that that is my very essence?"

"No, love in itself is your very essence. I only renounced one type of love. I still believe in friendship and family, just not in..."

"The warmth of a man s heart?" Venus questionably finished.

"Yes. Here they come. Who are they again?" Venus gave a hopeless sigh. The where in the Moon s Intergalactic Spaceport picking up the very last of the guests for the ball. The Spaceport looked pretty much like JFK only bigger, busier, and with space-planes that could hold up to five thousand passengers at one time. Venus took a deep breath,

"The short one on the right, the one with brown hair," she waited for Serena s nod, "that is Prince Voracious of Pluto s smallest moon, Gargantuan. The one in the middle is Prince Rapacious of Covetous, a planet outside this galaxy, and the last one is Prince Darien of Earth." Venus turned to Serena, who was "checking out" Darien. "Does my Princess approve of the last?" Mina asked with a smirk.

"God, he has changed in four years! I bet you he is also become arrogant, self-centered, and uncaring."

"I guess not." The princes approached them, and Serena began her welcoming ceremony. She turned first to the short chubby 23 year old prince.

"Prince Voracious, it s always a pleasure to have you here with us." He took her hand and kissed it. He was two feet shorter than her and had to look up to see her perfectly practiced fake smile.

"It is always a pleasure to be in a place were the food is plentiful and delicious." His voice reminded Serena of what a wild hog s mating call must sound like.

"Rapacious, looking as bright and cheerful as always." The purpled hair 25 year-old gave her hand a cold kiss.

"When you have the time Princess, I would like to make a monetary proposition on a merger of our two kingdoms. I am sure it will be beneficial for both our families."

"God he has only just arrived, and already he has made the worst marriage proposition of the year." Serena thought. She took a deep breath, and with all her acting abilities she answered, "There will be plenty of time to talk business latter." With a softer smile she turned to Darien. "It has been to long since your last visit." Darien softly kissed her hand with such tenderness as if it would break after being mistreated by the previous princes.

"Happy 14th Princess. May it be a good one." Serena had been caught of her guard. From the four thousand guests that she had received, he was the only one to wish her a happy birthday. She quickly recovered her posture and responded,

"Only if I m lucky."

"You are right it has been too long. My, how you have grown!" Darien took the hand he was holding and turned her around to get a better look at her. She was wearing a short blue sundress with matching sandals. Around her neck was a fine 24-karat necklace with a small diamond heart-shaped pendant. He recognized it immediately. It was his last birthday present to her. Somehow, seeing her with it gave him hope that the rumors weren t true, and she did indeed love. Her hair was up in its usual way with golden ball and sapphire bracelets around her meatballs. He tugged one of her pigtails and said, "Unfortunately your hair style hasn t. I m going to start calling you meatball head until you get with the program." The colors of anger began to burn at her cheeks. God, he loved his effect on women. Before she could say anything he took out a single perfect red rose from his pocket and gave it to her, "An early birthday present to an early blooming princess."

"Thank you." She couldn t help blush. This all was so unexpected. Boy was he smooth and different. All the other Princes had arrived in their official uniforms. He, on the other hand, was wearing a pair of jeans with a white shirt, blue tie and a blue sports jacket. He looked comfortable, not to mention drop dead gorgeous. What really had caught Serena s attention was his smile. It seemed so warm and real. Could a man naturally smile like that, or was it another mask. She quickly decided to pay him back for the blush. She stepped closer, got on tip toes, pulled him down by his tie and warmly kissed his cheek.

Her lips were two small bloody ice cubes melted by her hot breath. He felt as if it would burn and freeze his face at the same time. Three fireballs played in his stomach making his cheeks blush.

"What...what was that for? The rose? If I had known it would have such an effect, I would have brought more." he joked.

"No it wasn t for the rose. It was for a favor you once did for me ten years ago around this time. It seemed only appropriate that I thanked you now that I can. After all, I wouldn t be here if you hadn t...interfered." She was good at this spur of the moment excuses, and she knew it. She had achieved her goal quite well. Not only had she insulted without insulting his joke, but she also managed to make him blush a second time.

"Princess, we ll be late if we don t leave now." Venus instructed her as she looked at her watch.

"Where did the afternoon go?" Serena sighted. "Shall we go your majesties?" She turned to see the other two princes a bit red under the caller. Obviously they weren t expecting a flirting princess.

"As you wish." Rapacious answered. They walked to the Royal Exit. This was a special exit reserved for royalty and government officials only. Outside two carriages were waiting. The first was drawn by four magnificent white unicorns. The carriage itself was a rich purple with gold trimmings. The second was drawn by four breathtaking black unicorns, and it was a deep velvet blue with gold trimmings. The form of both carriages reminded Serena of a rose just before it blooms. The girls rode in the first, and the princes in the second.

"Serena, what was all that about?" Venus asked as soon as they were alone on the carriage.

"What was what?" She answered innocently.

"That kiss, that s what! You never get any closer to a prince than you have to. Can t say that I blame you for this one; he was very cute."

"Huh? Oh, you mean Darien. That was just simple and pure revenge. You know me; I can t let anyone have the last word." Serena answered as she looked over her day s schedule.

"How can you say it so nonchalant? You went from a girl that didn t believe in love to a flirt in less than five minutes!" Venus exploded.

"What are you taking about?" Serena asked confused.

"You openly flirted with Darien in front of the two biggest gossips of the court!" Venus reproached angrily. How could Serena act like nothing happened, specially having such an over protective father?

"I did NOT!" Serena answered indignant.

"That was for a favor you did ten years ago. It only seemed fair." Venus mocked kissing the air.

"Did it come out like that?" Serena asked worriedly

"You mean you didn t notice?" Venus was at the end of her rope. How was she suppose to make sure Serena fall in love someday, if Serena didn t know when she was flirting? This was so troublesome.

"I...I didn t mean it that way. I mean I...I...I only wanted to embarrass him!" She quickly added.

"So you like him?" Venus teased with a smile.

"Nooooo!" Serena answered a bit surprise. "He is just another prince."

"A prince that s very cute."

"There are many cute princes in the court."

"But, how many bring you a rose for your birthday?" Serena began to count her fingers. Finally frustrated she answered,

"I can t think of any now, but I m sure..."

"None." Venus answered, "None realize how you love them but..."

"He was just trying to make up for the insult."

"Sure, he carries a rose in his pocket every time he leaves the house."

"OK, maybe he just wanted to make a good impression."

"Or may be he thought you would like an Earth rose for your birthday."

"Why?" Venus sighed at her young friend s small knowledge of romance. She couldn t talk romance with Serena. To Serena, the only thing besides friendship that could exist between a man and a woman was lust. From such a young age she met princes that were only interested in her kingdom. In their mission to marry the princess, she had learned how not to trust a prince. To her, love could not exist; otherwise, none of these princes would bother her.

"Serena, in your nearly 14 years of life, how many times have you gone to Earth?"

"Never." She answered a bit embarrassed.

"That s why."

"Could you wipe that smirk of your face prince Darien. It is quite annoying." Prince Rapacious protested.

"Well what do you expect from him. The Princess did flirt with him, after all." Voracious intervened. Since Serena had kissed him, they had both been giving him the evil eye. They were still in the carriage, and Darien was enjoying the beautiful Moon countryside. He couldn t help touch the place on his cheek Serena had kissed. He could still feel the ice of her lips and the fire of her breath.

"She didn t flirt. She was just polite." The two princes gasped in surprise.

"Were you there today Darien?" Voracious asked exasperated. "Not only did she smile at you, but she kissed you."

"Like a brother!" He reminded the two.

"It shows you haven t been here for a while Darien. No one else has gotten so much from her." informed Rapacious.

"No one?" he asked worriedly.

"Well, not a suitor at least." Voracious corrected.

"Who said I was a suitor?" The two princes broke up laughing at Darien s comment.

"That...that s a good one...old friend" Voracious said between giggles.

"Really rich Darien." Rapacious stated after he was done laughing.

"I m not joking. I grew up with Serena. She is like a sister to me." Darien defended his case.

"But the rose?" Voracious began.

"It was a peace offering for not coming sooner. I always gave her a rose when I did something wrong. Like I said she is like a sister to me." He astutely answered.

"You mean you weren t flirting?" Rapacious asked curiously.

"Nooo! I was just teasing her like I tease my sisters." He confirmed. The two princes thought over the previous events. In this new light, everything seemed so innocent. How could they have been so blind? It was obvious that there was no attraction between the two.

"Does that mean we can have your dances?" Rapacious quickly asked. Darien gave him an annoyed look.

"Would I let my sister dance with two gossips like you?"

Rapacious gave a nervous laugh and quickly changed the subject.

"Welcome home princesses." Jedite helped the girls off the carriage. "Serena, your mother wants you to change and meet her in the Crystal room."

"How rude of you General!" Rapacious began.

"What nerve addressing the princess without proper respect!" Voracious added.

"General Jedite did not address me without respect. He is one of the few that has my permission to call me by my name!" Serena defended him. Jedite couldn t help but laugh at how the two princes were growing pale.

"If it is not too big of an intrusion, who are the other few?" Rapacious cautiously asked.

"Actually, it is an intrusion, but not a secrete. They are the Scouts, my parents, the General, a young servant boy, and..." She waited a moment to let them digest the information. Apparently Darien didn t seem to care. "Prince Darien." This last one did catch Darien s attention.

"Serena," Jedite couldn t help but to shove it in their faces, "you better change before your father sees you; you know he doesn t like to see you with such a short dress." Serena looked at her dress. It wasn t that short. It was just three inches above the knee. Too long for Serena s taste.

"When will my father learn to let me dress the way I want?" Serena whined.

"When hell freezes over. Now go before you get me into trouble!" The two princes gasped at Jedite s order.

"Yes sir!" Serena sarcastically answered. She quickly turned and ran up the front stairs into the castle. Darien took a good look at the castle. It hadn t changed much. The building was as large in area as a small city. It had four main towers designed in an Arabic style. The domes at the top of each tower and the dome at the center of the building had a long rod followed by a crescent moon, the royal family s code of arms. The edifice had hand carved stones as its building blocks and it faces a large moon made lake. It was a breath taking work of art. "General," Venus began.

"Yes Venus."

"Are we having practice today?"

"Of course. It will begin in half an hour."

"I ll assemble my team." All hope had drained from her voice. "Will you excuse me gentlemen." They bowed. She left. Darien walked towards Jedite.

"Hey Jed. How ve you been?"

"Fine, and you?" The shook hands.

"Can t complain."

"We ve missed you Darien. It just hasn t been the same these past 4 years."

"I know. It s been too long."

"Hey, no one kicked you out. You could ve come when ever."

"I know, but my military trainer is worst than you." They both laughed. "Walk me to my room, and tell me all that I ve missed."

"Sure thing" Jedite pointed at three servants, "Show the princes their rooms and take their luggage with you." Two servants showed the other two princes to their rooms in the guest building. The other picked up Darien s suitcase. He was relieved at the sight. All the other guest had at least six bags for a weeks stay. "Come on. This way." Jedite pointed at the way Serena had gone before.

"Huh?"

"You have the honor of staying in the main building with the family, the Scouts, and me."

"Boy, I feel special."

"Don t. Half of the guest building is under repairs. We didn t have enough room, and our Queen thought that you would be the only one that she could trust not to show off that his room is down the hall from Serena s." Darien couldn t believe his luck. Not only did she seem to favor him already but he was going to be close to her. They walked through the long corridors and went up the marble stairs. Every bit of the castle was decorated in early Lunar, a style known for its elegance and good taste. The railing on the staircase was made of the finest oak, and the doorknobs were made of pure white gold.

They reached Darien s room laughing. They had been talking about the good old days.

"So Darien, tell me the truth. Why did you wait so long to return?"

"Jed...I think you know better than me."

"It s because of the rumors, right?"

"Are the true?"

"To some extent. She believes in friendship and family, but she doesn t believe that love between a man and a woman is possible."

"How can she believe in all but one?"

"Simple, she has felt friendship and the love in a family, but never the other type. Do you still love her?"

"Excuse me?" Darien was caught of guard.

"Do you still love her?" Jedite insisted.

"I...I"

"I m glad."

"But I didn t answer."

"Your eyes did all the talking."


	4. Chapter 4

disclaimer: like everyone knows, sailor moon is a trademark of Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha + TOEI animation

The Ice Cold Princess:

The Moon Saga: Part III

by Sailor Nena

"Were is the Princess?" Prince Laconic complained. "I was only able to spend three hour talking about myself with her this morning!"

"I m sorry your majesty, but she has taken the afternoon off." Lady Aims answered. "Her conversation with you was so exiting that she had no energy left."

"Really? Well, that still doesn t excuse her! She has a responsibility to tend to her guests!" he replied.

"Yes, I completely agree, but if I may remind you, she has 3,999 other guests to tend to." The Lady tried to smooth over. "How can this one be sooo rude?" Mercury thought "He hasn t even taken into consideration that it is Serena s birthday! I m not surprised that she tends not to like any of them." She painted a fake smile on her face. "If I see her, I ll communicate to her that you re looking for her."

"I expect so!" The young prince turned and left without taking his leave.

"You owe me big time Serena, where ever you are!"

"Do you ceaselessly hide among the roses Meatball head?" Serena jumped when she heard the voice behind her. She thought no one knew where she was.

"How dare you call me that name?" She was infuriated.

"I told you I would call you that until you changed your hair, but you still haven t answered my question." Darien couldn t whip of the smirk from his face. Even though Serena had her back turned to him, he could tell her cheeks were as red as the rose he had given her.

"First of all, my hair-style is part of the Lunar family tradition. I do it to pay my respect to the first Queen of the Moon." Her voice was calm, but she still didn t face him. "Second of all, I do not explain my habits to ANY one."

"You just did." Darien smiled. She was getting very annoyed. He didn t know why, but there was something in those eyes when she was angry that left him breathless. It could be the vitality of anger, or the fact that if she could hate with a passion, then, in Darien s mind, she could love with a passion. She slowly turned.

"Third of all, you are NO one to interrogate me!"

"Who s interrogating? I m just asking." He teased. He waited for her giggle. It did not come. This was the first time that line did not work to smooth things over with a princess.

"Interrogate means to question therefor you were interrogating me." The princess informed seriously. "It s a shame that princes these days have such a limited vocabulary." She sighed under her breath.

"And it s such a shame that princesses these days do not know how to be polite!" Darien replayed annoyed.

"Look who s taking! Mr. Rude himself!" She was at the verge of screaming.

"Uuuuhhhhh, better calm down princess someone may hear you and take you away from serenity!" He detonated. Serena calmly turned around, and facing the flowers she answered,

"It s too late for that." Suddenly a wave of guilt filled Darien s heart. He had been so happy at the chance of spending some time alone with her he hadn t noticed how happy SHE was alone. He took a deep breath and apologized.

"Wow, a prince admitting he is wrong! That s a first!" Serena replied sarcastically.

"I guess I deserved that, but don t push me." he warned.

"Why not? You pushed me." She was so calm and serious in her answer that Darien couldn t help but wonder if she was a robot decoy.

"You know Meatball head, you should try being nice and forgiving. It suits you more."

"Would you please refrain from calling me that!" she hissed.

"No." Darien answered simply. He saw her whole body stiffen into a defense posture. He swiftly walked toward her, and taking advantage that she was cutting some white roses, he put his hands on her shoulders to give her a back rub. Immediately at his touch, she stiffened and pulled away. "Well princess, if I didn t know better, I would have said you have never felt the warmth of a human touch." he teased, but she did not smile. Her face remained serious.

"You are the only human currently in the castle." Her comment stunned Darien. He gave her a weird look.

"It s an Earth expression. It means that you have never felt a kind touch from someone."

"I have, but..."

"Never from a prince." He finished. She nervously looked towards the castle. Usually, when she felt uncomfortable around a prince, she would run towards the castle, but she was in the furthermost garden. There was no way she would have made it. "Are you scared of me?" Darien asked worriedly.

"Now what ever makes you say that?" she smiled.

"Oh, I don t know. Could it be that you seem to run away from me?"

"That simply could be that I don t like being near you." He took a step forward. She took a step back.

"See what I mean. You run away like a scared kitten." Darien argued.

"I m not running away. I just need my space." She informed. He kept walking toward her; she kept walking away. Her eyes never left his. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. The beat of her heart was in her ears. She nearly tripped over the box where Neffarious had locked her that dreadful nigh. She lost her composure for a moment. It was what Darien needed to get close enough to catch her before she fell. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight.

"Don t worry. It s over. Forget it ever happened." His words were soft and reassuring. She didn t realize she was still taking to the guy she wanted to kill a few moments before.

"I feel as if I never will." She was trembling in his arms now. He respected her pride and took of his cape (he was in his official uniform now). Around her shoulders it was placed, and he sweetly said,

"It is getting kind of chilly." He walked her away from the box and closer to the flowers she was tending earlier. It was a beautiful sight. Before them laid the last patch of wild roses left in the castle. It was easy to tell that it was wild because it was primarily made up of white roses with a few red in the middle. "How come roses grow naturally that way on the Moon?" he quickly changed the subject.

"You mean, you don t know the story?"

"What story?" Her eyes brighten and her face softened.

"In the beginning, all roses on the Moon were white and pure. They were known for their power. Only the hand of a princess was delicate enough to pick one of these roses without being pricked by their venomous thorns it was said. During the 19th recorded generation of the Moon family..."

"Which one is yours?" Darien interrupted.

"The 777th, any way during the 19th, a princess was born that was destine to change all this. She was kidnapped as a child and raised as a peasant. Her parents were very sad and searched for her until there was no hope left. They decided that they had to find a new heir to the thrown. They invited the second born prince of Earth to join them."

"Which family?" he couldn t help interrupt. At the time the story took place, Earth was divided into the Seven Great Kingdoms ruled by the Seven Great Families.

"The one that would later be called, the Family of Roses." she smiled.

"Hey, that s mine."

"I know. That s why I was surprised you didn t know the story. Any how, the prince accepted. He came and joined the Moon family. He finished growing up with them, and almost everyone considered him the legitimate son of the King and Queen of the Moon including the high priest. One day the prince decided to take a walk in the gardens where he saw a beautiful girl tending the roses. He was frightened at first, but then he realized she was wearing gloves. He approached her, and they soon became friends."

"Their relationship grew until it reached the ears of the high priest. He was greatly dissatisfied. If his sources were correct, he might have to deal with a peasant queen, something that would be below him. He confronted the girl only to find that his worst fears were true. They were planing to marry. He said to the young girl If you truly love the Prince, then you will cut with your bear hands a rose from the bush. " Darien couldn t help noticing that she had avoided the word love all she could. "She did as he told her, only to find the rose did not prick her."

"The prince and the priest immediately knew she was the missing princess. In the joy of this truth, the prince could help but to kiss the princess. The high priest knowing nothing of the true origins of the prince stabbed the princess for allowing her "brother" to commit such a pungent crime. The prince was so heart broken that all he could do is take her into his arms. Unfortunately, he pricked his finger on the rose she was holding and died."

"The royal families were destroyed. The prince was taken to be buried on Earth, and the princess on the Moon. The worst part of the tragedy was that the two could never be together again. The Moon Queen cried over this for days until she went to the rose bush were her daughter had died. The blood from the princess and the prince was still freshly on the ground. She couldn t help but cry at the merger of the two bloods into one. Her tears soaked the ground and the blood seeped into the soil. When she finally stopped crying, she was shocked to find a signal red rose on the bush. Her children would be one body, one flesh, one blood, and one soul for all eternity. Since then red poison-free roses have grown among the white, the high priests have been female, and one patch of wild roses have been kept for the eldest princess to tend."

"So you do frequently visit this place." Darien smiled in triumph.

"Why wouldn t I. Look at it." Darien for the first time in his life stopped to look at this place. "It has a savage beauty in its most untamed serenity." She pointed at the forest behind them. "That s the Forbidden Forest. It remains pure of civilization. It grows as it pleases and harvests as many secretes as there are stars in the sky. The wild gardens," she turn towards her rose bush again, "they keep the history of my kingdom." Darien looked at the flowers. They were enchanting. Between the trees and the wild berry bushes, they provided an air of complete majestic mystery to the area. "Finally," she pointed to the sky, "during the day the sun shines brightly free of any shackles placed by decorum, and during the night, the stars and the Earth guard the heavens."

"The Earth?" Darien asked surprised

"Yes, the Earth. You can see it clearly from here." She took off his cape and handed it to him. "The day seems to have regained its warmth." she explained. He smiled down at her. His smiled was so warm and real that for a moment Serena forgot he was a prince.

"So, Meatball head, do you like Earth?"

"Darien I asked you not to call me that!" she whined as she was abruptly brought back to reality.

"Oh my, you just called me Darien, not Prince Darien like you re suppose too." He teased.

"Excuse me, but I seem to forget my manners when I am annoyed to no end!" Serena coolly responded.

"Don t be. I want you just to call me Darien. That s what my friends call me. It s so much more personal. I hate the cold tittle ceremony. It feels as if you are not allowed to really know the other person." He was smiling warmly at her again. He seemed not to do anything but annoy and surprise her. He reached to pick a white rose.

"I wouldn t do that if I were you."

"Why?"

"Weren t you paying attention at the story?"

"Yeah, it s just a story." He picked a rose and prickled his finger with it, "Au, that s the first time I ve ever been stab by a thorn. Is it suppose to burn?" He asked worriedly.

"Not unless its poisonous."

"Not funny princess." She picked a red rose, and took his other hand in hers. Quietly, she pricked his finger. He complained again about the pain before all color left his face as he realized it didn t burn. She took the white rose from his hand. She used the stem to mix the blood on the left hand slowly with the one on the right. The burning sensation calmed a little. She moisten her lips and kissed the desecrated finger. It quenched the fire left by the rose.

"Most stories are base on something that is true." She smiled at him as the color returned to his cheeks. "Do not ever again pick a wild white rose. Next time, you may not be as lucky." She couldn t help rubbing it in his face. She turned and began to walk towards the castle. "Oh, Darien, I have never been to Earth so I can t say if I like it or not, but it is the most beautiful planet in my night s sky." She could sense him smiling. Six more days and he would be gone. If she could only survive until then...

"Darien, how wonderful it is to see you again."

"Your majesty, you are always a wonderful sight to see." Darien kissed the Queen s hand. "It has been much too long."

"Yes my dear boy it has, but you have only yourself to blame. You should ve come sooner."

"Well, my schedule hasn t permitted much travel these past four years."

"That is true. Your mother has told me of the numerous accomplishments in the field of war. They say you are the best swordsman this side of the universe."

"Well, I m not sure if THE best is the appropriate term. I am good, but I m sure there is someone better."

"Handsome and modest, what a refreshing combination! Don t you agree Mars? Oh, where are my manners? Darien, you remember Ray, princess of mars, high priestess of the Sacred Flame, and Sailor Mars."

"Who could forget such a beauty?" He took Mars s hand and lightly kissed it. The young girl felt a fire serge in her stomach.

"I feel so acclaimed this afternoon! How are you Darien? Oh, let me present you my royal court composer, Sir Chad of Diapason."

"Your Majesty." Chad took a bow.

"Your name sounds familiar. You wouldn t be the composer of the "Martiana" Rock opera?" Darien asked curiously.

"Why, yes!" Chad answered in surprise, "Have you heard it?"

"Heard it, I live by it. The best piece of music since "Lunar Girl." Darien responded with a devilish smile.

"A prince that enjoys modern music? I must be dreaming!" Ray exclaimed lightheartedly.

"Yes this is surprising." Queen Serenity affirmed, "They are Serena s favorite too."

"Speaking of your daughter," Chad began, "the song is almost complete, but we do have a problem."

"What is it Chad?" the Queen asked worriedly

"We need another male vocalist than the General. The other three you send me do not have the lung power for it."

"Oh, dear where are we going to find another vocalist with this short notice?"

"Darien, you are known for your voice; will you do it?" Ray cautiously asked.

"Do what?"

"You see," Queen Serenity began, "my husband and I are dedicating a song this year for Serena, and we need one more male vocalist..."

"What type of song?" He carefully asked

"R+B." Chad informed proudly

"I don t know if my voice is what you need, but if I can help..."

"Great!" Ray interrupted, "I ll get the General. We ll meet in Chad s private music room in half an hour! Bye." Ray ran down the front hall way towards the training grounds.

"She sure has a lot of energy!" Darien commented.

"What did you expect? She is the high priestess." Chad responded. Darien noticed something in Chad s eyes he could not clearly make out. It was a notion of awe, power, devotion, and suppression. After a moment, Darien understood. Chad was in love with her.

"You two make beautiful music together." Ray teased. Jedite and Darien sounded great, and along with Lita and her, the song would be a total success.

"I wouldn t teased the man who has the power to make you do five hundred more flips today if I were you." Jedite warn.

"Ah, General, you re no fun." Ray whined.

"No, I m fun. Just that we have different ideas of fun. Any way, Darien you think you can do this tomorrow night?"

"Yea, its pretty simple."

"Good then all we have to worry about is the Princess not bailing on us." Chad remarked from the piano.

"Serena wanted to spend her birthday on Neptune enjoying the beaches, but her parents didn t want to break tradition." Ray explained to Darien before he could ask. They were in Chad s Music Room. It was very small with a single piano in it. There were chairs against one wall, and a fine Martian rug on the floor. The room had a feel of a placid classroom.

"I guess she is not so spoiled." Darien remarked. Ray gave him an indignant look. "Hey, it was only a joke!" He protested.

"When will you learn not to listen to rumors?" Jedite teased.

"Hey no one is perfect." Darien defended himself.

"With that attitude, I m not surprised..." Ray mumbled under her breath.

"Not surprised of what?" Darien asked. Ray quickly stiffened in surprised.

"Nothing. Just talking to my self." Ray nervously answered as she remembered Serena s account of what had happened in the Wild Gardens.

"She doesn t like me, does she?" he asked

"Like is such an abstract word..." Ray nervously avoided the question. Why did it bother her that this one knew the truth? It was not like he was going to be the one to melt Serena s heart. Was he?

"I m not...pleasing to the princess." he corrected himself.

"Is not that you are not pleasing, is that she passed judgment on you before she saw you again. In fact, her words in the spaceport were ...he has changed. I bet you he has also become arrogant, self centered, and uncaring. " Venus corrected as she came into the room. "But don t worry, she does like you in an abstract sort of way." she finished with a smile.

"Really? And all this time I thought she just wanted to kill me." Darien responded sarcastically.

"If she wanted you dead, she would have left you to die in the Wild Gardens instead of using her saliva to save you!" Mars attacked.

"What do you mean use her saliva?"

"You know that saliva contains potent antibacterial substances." Mars waited for him to nod, "Well, Serena s also contains a strong antivenins substance. It is only found in the firstborn female of the Lunar Royal Family."

"Oh, so she wasn t just kissing to make it all better?"

"She kissed your finger? She never applies the saliva through a kiss." Jedite whined

"She also never flirts, but that didn t stop her in the spaceport." Venus informed.

"She what?" Mercury asked as she entered the room. "Oh, hello Prince Darien. It is a pleasure to see you again."

"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Aims." Darien kissed her hand gently.

"Good, now that we are done with the formalities, she did what, and why weren t we told about it?" Lita asked without looking from the music sheets she was memorizing.

"She didn t do anything! I teased her, and she teased me back!" Darien protested.

"You mean, you flirted, and she flirted back." Venus corrected.

"Nooo! I mean it wasn t flirting; it was teasing!" Darien protested a bit annoyed.

"Darien I was there, remember? I know what I saw, and it wasn t simply teasing." Venus responded cool as always.

"Really, and what do you remember?" Darien asked at the end of his rope.

"Well, lets see, ...early birthday present for an early blooming princes. for starters." Venus answered imitating his voice.

"You got her an early birthday present? What was it?" Jedite curiously asked.

"A perfect red rose. Could it have been more perfect?" Venus asked.

"It could have been a dozen." Lita remarked.

"It could have been white." Mercury informed.

"Aims, you know she doesn t like to get them when they are in bloom!" Venus reminded.

"Oh, that s right. Well then fourteen dozen red roses." Mercury offered.

"A dozen for each year. How romantic!" Ray sighed.

"You guys are missing the point. This was the first present that was personal. It wasn t something that all princess love; it was something that Serena loves." scolded Venus.

"I feel so important all of the sudden." Darien remarked, "So, did she like the rose?"

"Like it? She adored it! She has it in a vase by her bed! Oh, just that you didn t hear it from me." Venus warned.

"Is it the rose she had in her hand well I helped her down?" Jedite asked.

"Yes, she didn t stop fidgeting with all the way home." Venus answered.

"That does it! From now on, I m going with you guys to pick up the princes. I miss to much good gossip!" Lita informed defiantly.

"Listen, I m glad she liked the rose, and I m honored that you think that she likes me, but she is like a sister to me."

"Listen pretty boy, that line might work with the princes of court, but it won t work with the Goddess of Love." Venus informed in a tone that reminded Darien of a schoolteacher.

"So that s why we haven t heard of this earlier. Not only does he like her, but he wants to protect her too." Lita stated.

"Well, if he wants to get any where with her, he will have to get ready for the fight of his life." Mars informed.

"Really?" Darien asked sarcastically, "And I suppose you are going to give me some tips."

"That s right." Jedite began, "The first thing you ll need to do is to dance as much as possible with the princess in these balls. The more you have her in the dance floor, the more she will see the real you."

"The second," Mars continued, "is that you have to become a seductive, sweet, mysterious character outside the ball. You have to be different from all the others. Someone who could really show her how to love."

"The third," Jupiter took over, "is that you have to be thoughtful. Leave her alone when she needs her privacy, or just listen when she needs to talk."

"Fourth," Chad pitched in, "you have to be romantic. You had the right idea with the rose, but don t stop there. Write her poems and do little things that women love like being sincere."

"Fifth," Mercury added, "you should challenge her intelligence. Serena likes to be right all the time, so a challenge is always welcomed. Show her that you are not just another air headed prince."

"Finally," Venus concluded, "Become her knight in shining armor. Serena has become extremely too independent. She needs to learn to trust men, and if you want her to love you, you first have to teach her to trust in you."

"This is all nice, but how am I suppose to do any of this, if she can t even stand a picture of me?" Darien asked annoyed.

"I don t think anyone could easily get close to her with a aim like that in mind." Jedite answered.

"The only person that comes to my mind is that imaginary friend she once had. What was his name?" Mercury asked.

"Oh, yes, the one that stayed all night with her during the storm. She originally gave him a funny complicated name. I believe it was the Masked Tuxedo-man."

"Yea and he latter became the Masked Tuxedo." Lita chipped in.

"Tuxedo Masked! That was his final name." Lady Aims finally remembered. "She named him that because he wore a black tuxedo and a white mask. I remember how she would talk of him."

"Yes, for a moment I thought she was in love with him." Ray informed.

"For a moment, I think we all fell in love with that devious character. Handsome, caring, loving, protective, what else could one ask for in a man?" asked Venus.

"To be real." Jedite retorted

"Well, we can t have everything." Lita sighed

"In other words, I have to become a figment of her imagination to make her understand?" Darien asked a bit amused. This was going to be easier than he thought. Who better for Prince Darien to confide in, but Tuxedo Mask? "I ll seduce her with Prince Darien s charming personality, and I ll convince her with Tuxedo Mask s mysterious manner. This is going to be fun." He thought to himself.

"Why are you smiling that way Darien?" Jedite asked prudently.

"Because I just realize that my mom was right." Darien answered.

"About what?" When Jedite started he couldn t stop.

"She said ...you better get up there soon, before you have an impossible mission on your hands... " he smiled.

"Well, hero, welcome to mission impossible." joked Jedite.

Darien was in his room enjoying the afternoon sun. It twinkled happily into the room and into his life. Darien looked around. I was a big room, as big as his own. It had a king-size bed with blue silk sheets and a black quilt on top. Against the wall in front his bed was a marble desk. Next to it was a door that led to a bathroom complete with Jacuzzi and all. It was on the wall right of this one where the window, which really were two sliding glass doors, was located. The window took up most of the wall, and in front of the window there was a wall to wall closet. One of its doors was really a mirror, and in side that door was a closet filled with shelves. Quite convenient for a prince that didn t want to spend all morning looking for his socks. The other doors hid the "hanging" clothes. It was spacious enough to prevent any of it to be wrinkled. Darien stood up and placed the chair back by the desk. He had been sitting in the center of the room generating a plan.

He knew what he had to do, and when to do it. All he needed was to take care of a few minor details. He went to his closet and opened the main door. When his mother heard the rumor that one of the balls might be a custom one, she insisted that Darien brought along his tuxedo. It was almost identical to the one he had worn that fateful night. The only difference was that this one came with a top hat and a cane. It would be perfect for tomorrow night, but the mask was another story. He was sure his mother had packed the fancy gold mask, but had she packed his favorite? Darien went to the shelved closet and took out a small black trunk. He placed it on the bed and opened it.

"Mom, how did you know?" Darien asked the empty room. The top mask was a replica of the one he had worn that day. This one was only a bit larger to perfectly fit his grown face. Everything was ready. "Tomorrow we will meet again my princess."

"Who are you talking to?" Darien hadn t even heard Luna knock or come in.

"No one, just my self." He quickly put away all the incriminating evidence.

"Then you were talking with someone." She corrected.

"I guess your right, Luna. How s life treating you?"

"Life is good, but Serena is another story. They grow up so fast." she sighed.

"Are you hear to give me advise, too?"

"No, she is here to explain a few things you need to know, Darien." A charming white cat said from the doorway.

"Artimis! How s my favorite cool cat doing?"

"Can t complain." He answered in his cool fashion.

"So what is this that I need to know?" Darien asked Luna.

"The first is very simple. You know how everyone thinks Tuxedo Mask is a figment of Serena s imagination. Well, that s because we kept our mouths shut about what really happened that night. You didn t do anything bad, but we didn t want it to be taken the wrong way." Luna took another deep breath. "Now Serena claims to believe in friendship and family but not love between a man and a woman. This is not because she received her first marriage proposal at twelve but because she has been harassed and treated like an object by almost every single prince that has come by here. She doesn t trust any prince anymore." Her face sadden for a moment, but then a new breath of life came into her, "She really does believe in love, she just won t admit it. She sees it in her parents and in your parents, but she has never realized that she felt it. So, when you begin to teach her, remember that she has a very fragile and broken heart. Go easy on her, my Prince; she has been through so much in so little time."

"Luna, what makes you say that I m going to teach her?" Darien asked nervously.

"Your eyes for starters, but the hard core truth is the rose, the incident in the Wild Gardens, and Tuxedo Mask." She smiled at his colorless face. "Serena only told the Scouts, Jedite and us about the incident, but Tuxedo Mask might have a bigger mouth."

"What s that suppose to mean?" Darien asked still a bit nervous.

"Well, a man in a tuxedo and a mask coming in and out of the princess s room might be something to draw a bit of attention." Artimis informed. "Don t worry. You are a master of breaking an entering. There is no force alive that will keep you from visiting Serena s room."

"Except the executioner s ax or King Guile s fury." Luna corrected.

"Thank you milady for the vote of confidence." Darien answered with a bittersweet sarcasm.

"Any time milord." she mocked, "So when are you starting?"

"Tomorrow night, after the ball." He answered.

"Love the timing. She ll be to tire to question her sanity or call the castle guards for that matter." Artimis praised.

"Yes, I agree. Tomorrow the moon shall begin to shine happily on my princess s face once more." Luna concluded. The sun softly vanished from the sky, and the Earth took its place. Darien turned on the light and stepped out into the balcony. The two cats softly followed. "It is such a beautiful planet." she sighed. "Her favorite you know."

"So I ve been told." Darien said as his eyes caught sight of another star, but this one was below his balcony. He couldn t believe it. In the quiet savageness of the gardens, Serena was admiring Earth. She seemed so tranquil, so happy, so loving that he was filled with the erg to jump from the balcony to her side, and silently kiss the bloody ice cubes of her lips. There was only one thing that stopped him. He couldn t bear to tear her from her little moment of ecstasy to fulfill his carnal desire. He would wait; there would be plenty of time for kissing when his mission was fulfilled.


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: SAILOR MOON IS A TRADEMARK OF NAOKO TAKEUCHI/KODANSHA + TOEI ANIMATION

The Ice Cold Princess

The Moon Saga: Part IV

By Sailor Nena

Darien woke up early the next morning. It was only a few hours after dawn and the entire castle slept quietly. He quickly got dress and decided to get to work; it was going to be a long day. He noticed that Jedite wasn t guarding the Princess s chamber. "How strange, he always guards her door as she sleeps." Slowly, the door began to open. He hid behind his door; a small seductive figure emerged from the room. He followed it down the hallway into the light where he lost sight of it. "Where did it go?"

"What do you want?" A small strong voice asked. He turn to find a sword at his neck.

""Who are you, and why were you coming out of the princess s chamber?" he asked defiantly.

"Answer my question first!" the voice demanded . By its soft tone, Darien could tell it was a woman. She was wearing a silver shirt with matching pants. Over where her heart would be, there was a golden crescent moon. Her face was covered with a silver mask with a golden crescent moon on her forehead.

"I want you to answer my questions." He wasn t about to let a girl tell him what to do. She put away her sword.

"I am the Moon Guardian, and I was watching over the princess s sleep." Darien couldn t help being attracted to this girl. Her face might have been completely covered, but there was something in her soft independent voice that released the butterflies in his stomach.

"Are you always this secretive?"

"Only when there are idiotic princes around." She insulted.

"Owe, that hurt. You know Moon Guardian, instead of going around insulting people, you should take more care of that sword of yours! You are going to hurt yourself." If he was going to receive insults than he was going to give them away too.

"You should talk. Like most princes, I bet you are all reputation and no skill." Boy she was good, but he knew how to make her eat her words.

"If you really want to see my skill, that could be arranged." He was sure she couldn t refuse or win.

"This afternoon at three in the Wild Gardens." She walked away slowly but confidently. Darien got a good look at the swords that made an x-shape on her back. Her uniform seemed more like a second skin, and those ankle boots had a little too much heel for a swords fighter. No, this was going to be too easy. She was over confident, and she wouldn t see any attack coming. Darien had always enjoyed a good exercise session before a ball, but he was sure this one, would be a ball within itself.

"Sailor Nena, where are you?" The Moon Guardian approached the Story Tree.

"She is right behind you my child." My mother answered. She turned to face me as I became visible again.

"I bring a message from the princess." She began. "You are to attend her birthday balls."

"I always attend her balls." I could sense a wry smile forming behind her mask.

"Yes, but this time, you are to enter the ball room, and not watch all from the outside of the window."

"What?" I asked surprised, "I never go inside, and you know it!"

"That is why the princess took the liberty of picking a nice pearl colored dress for you to wear."

"I AM not going in! There will be too many people, and I will not be able to write!" I protested.

"Are you going to go against the princess s wishes!" She was becoming quite annoyed herself.

"We will compromise. I will be inside tonight only to see her open her gift. Tomorrow, I will enter after dinner, and I will attend the full ceremony of the last day. That will give me enough time to adjust to being in a room with so many people that can see me."

"It seems reasonable enough. After three, I ll give you the dress."

"You know Guardian, Darien is not just ..all reputation and no skill. I have seen him fight, and he is not half bad." I teased.

"That means he is not have good either." she teased back with a devilish smile hidden behind the mask.

"Do not worry, I will write down every fall, kick, stab, and..." I could not help grinning, "kiss."

"Nena! You know quite well my disposition towards princes, and he is no exception!" She defended. I just smiled an I told you so and watched her go off to her training section.

"So prince Darien is back." My mother began, "It looks like you will finally have something good to write about. The Earth family always has an interesting sense of humor."

"I hope because he IS going to need it for today s fight."

"Well, I never said they were wise."

"So Earth people are not wise."

"I never said that either. They are wise when it comes to love and self confidence. They also know a few things about intelligence and skill, but they also have pride and ego. If that is ever hurt, their reactions tend to be childish and not thought through. That is why our dear Prince is going to have a small surprise when he fights our Guardian. Tell me child, does he stand a chance?" My devilish smile was all my mother needed for an answer.

Three o clock came by, and Darien walked into the Wild Gardens. He saw the Moon Guardian putting her hair into a bun. It was much longer than he expected. He silently cursed that she was not facing him, for he could not see her face.

"I thought you were not coming." He was a bit startled; he did not expect for her to be able to sense his presence.

"Why, I have never turned down a challenge! Why should I begin now?" he teased.

"Because you can t win this one, shall we begin?" She asked as she placed her mask on. For a second, he thought he was going to see her face. She turned to face him. Weather it was the air of mystery that flowed around her, or if it was the regal air that ran through her very being, Darien felt he knew this girl. She drew her sword; he drew his. He cautiously approached; she threw a high kick. He garbed her leg before it could do any damage. She placed her hands on the ground for support and used the other leg to kick his head. The collision with the iron boon caused Darien to fall on the ground. He quickly jumped to his feet, and lounged at her with his sword. She perfectly blocked his move with hers. He gave her a devilish smile; she kicked his stomach to push him back. Darien was surprise at the amount of strength in her kick. She was obviously no ammeter.

Their swords clashed blow after blow. In one of the blows, Darien garbed her wrist and flipped her. As soon as she was on the floor, she tried to make him fall by kicking his right ankle; he saw it coming and jumped. She did a flip to stand up. He raised his sword above his head; her sword was waiting for his when it came down hard. She moved her wrist in a three hundred and sixty degree turn to rip his sword out of his hand, but he did the same, and both sword went flying into the nearby trees. He did a jump kick towers her, which she avoided. He tried to punch her unconscious, but she blocked that blow with her bare hands. Unfortunately for the Guardian, that was a decoy to grab her wrist again. He flung her against a tree. She fixed herself in the air, and jumped of the tree with her right fist aimed at his face. He moved out of the way as she flipped in mid air to land perfectly on her feet. It was obvious he was no amateur.

Darien pulled out the sword from the tree behind him; Guardian drew her other sword. They lunged at each other, and found their swords checked in stalemate at each others throats. Darien gave her a wry smile. They could do this all day, and still neither would win. They were equally matched swordsmen and fighters. It was amazing.

"Serenity of the Moon, what is the meaning of this?" Queen Serenity screeched.

"Mom!" Guardian shrieked in surprised.

"Mom?" Darien asked in surprise. As King Guile approached the scene, Moon Guardian slowly removed her masked, and her hair flowed in golden waves to her knees.

"Serena?" Darien couldn t believe his eyes. Before him stood the innocent rose that could not stand the roaring thunder. Before him stood the only worrier that was ever able to actually check him, even if it was a tie, and they were the same person. "Now I know why they call you the Lunar White Rose. You are fragile and defenseless in appearance, but strong and poisonous underneath."

"Oh, this is going to be a long day!" The king stated as he reached the gardens.

"Fighting like a crazed soldier! Who did you think you were? Jedite?" The Queen was yelling at the top of her powerful lungs. She was angry; she was very angry. She had always been a pacifist, and expected that her daughter inherited some of her views. Serena looked around the familiar office. She was standing in front of her parent s twin oak desks. They were standing on the other side of it. There where pictures all over the walls of dead family members, and diplomas from the best schools in the galaxy. She could tell that the door was slightly ajar, and Darien was listening to the whole thing.

"Mother, you know that today is the seventh day of the seventh month. You know today is the day I am to practice with my uniform." Serena began to explain.

"What does your uniform have to do with your actions?" Her mother interrupted.

"Speaking of your uniform, wasn t that the one I said you couldn t have?" Her father asked.

"No the one you said I couldn t have was the one that consisted of only the body with the knee-high boots." Serena corrected.

"And who approved this one? I m sure I did not!" Now he was annoyed. King Guile came from a planet were it was important for the future ruler to know how to fight as a peasant and as a monarch. He was proud of Serena s accomplishments, but he wished she would dress a little more conservative.

"I did!" the Queen answered.

"You?" the King asked in surprise

"Well, if it was up to you, she would be wearing a habit!" She retorted.

"And, what s wrong with that?" he demanded

"I don t like habits!" the princess screamed. It was her turn to yell. "I DON T like being stuck hear for my birthday, and I don t like to be yelled at before I have a chance to defend myself!" The King and Queen knew their daughter too well. She was at the end of her rope. They understood it was hard for her to admit she was wrong, but they couldn t let her get away with everything. They sat down at their desks and motioned her to begin.

"He caught me this morning coming out of my room." she obeyed calmly, "He made a comment on how I was OBVIOUSLY a beginner, so I responded the same way I always do. He challenged me; I accepted, and the rest you know."

"This doesn t speak well in you favor." The Queen remarked calmly. "Did he teach you your lesson, or did I interrupted too soon?"

"We taught each other a lesson." Serena responded.

"Excuse me young lady?" The Queen hated these riddles from her daughter.

"It was a stalemate."

"That s my girl!" the King said proudly.

"Guile!" The Queen scolded, "How did you, Serena, manage it?"

"My lessons on fighting have been given to me on a daily basis since my fourth birthday."

"On whose order?" The Queen couldn t believe her ears. Who would go against her wishes in such a manner?

"On mine!" King Guile informed, "Well, if it was up to you, she would live in a cave, and preach love and peace to all!" the King mocked

"And what s wrong with that?" the Queen asked.

"I don t want to live in a cave, and love and peace is an unrealistic ideal." Serena said calmly.

"Your punishment shall be decided now. Take your leave, and change for the banquet. It is about to begin." Serena gave the Lunar bow, which was crossing her right leg behind her left and bending her knees. She left the room, and Darien entered. The Queen continued, "Darien I must apologize for my daughter s immature behavior, but I must say, yours wasn t that mature either."

"I agree. I let my pride get the best of me; I promise it will never happen again."

"No it won t. I ll make sure of that, but speaking about my daughter, how was she?" King Guile wasted no time in finding out what he wanted to know.

"Guile!" the Queen whined.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"She was surprisingly and refreshingly good. It was nice to see that my sister is not the only one that learns the sacred art of self-defense." Darien smoothed over. The Queen picked up something from the floor.

"Nice try hot shot, but you are still going to be reprimanded, even if you didn t know it was my daughter you were challenging." the king informed. This was not good. Darien needed to have her parents on his side to make his mission work.

Serena walked into the room. She was wearing a light blue silk Greek-styled dress. It had puffy short sleeves and a low cleavage. Her hair was up in its usual way with sapphire bobby pins. She held her hand open to her mother; Queen Serenity put in it the necklace Darien had given her. He couldn t help but to place it on her neck when she tried to put it on.

"The punishment we have decided for both of you is actually quite simple." The Queen began.

"You will have to dance the first and last dance of these three balls together." the King finished.

"But dad, you know I never dance those two dances! It s against my religion!" Serena said in disbelief.

"And I don t need anyone to find me dance partners." Darien said indignant.

"Tough luck. This is our decision, and we are not going back. Now go and get ready for tonight!" The Queen ordered.

"That annoying fool! If I could have my way, he would be dead by now! Nena, where are you!" Serena screamed at the top of her lungs.

"I m right here. Calm down. It looks like you are about to kill someone." I joked.

"I am! What are you doing like that? Why haven t you changed?" Her fury had made her blind. I was still wearing my Scout uniform, which consisted of a black skirt two inches longer than the ones of the other scouts, a black bow, a white body, and ankle high boots. For jewelry I had a pair of gold earrings that resembled an open book with a silver feather pen coming out of it; I had a matching necklace, and a golden broach on my bow. The broach had the same design engraved with a phrase in a distant language, " "Palabras Escritas Son Verdade Por A Noite He Por a Manan." My mother says it means, "Written Words Are Truth In The Night And In The Morning."

"Serena," I said calmly, "you still have not given me the dress, which you wish me to wear."

"Oh, that s right." She took a deep breath, but still felt like crying, "I m sorry," she sobbed, "but this IDIOT put me in a horrendous mood! I can t believe my parents are going to make me dance with him." Abruptly, she stood up and wiped her tears away like fallen angels. "He is not going to ruin MY birthday. Here," She pulled out a dress from her large closet, "put this on."

The dress was also Greek-style, like most of the day. It was a soft pearl colored to mach the crystal in my tiara, and for jewelry, I wore my dangling pearl earrings, matching necklace and bracelet, and a simple pearl ring that reminds me of a model of the moon s orbit.

I took a good look at myself in Serena s life size morrow. In its simplicity, I looked regal. I was the only Scout with Mediterranean olive skin. My hair was as dark as Ray s, but I did not have bangs. My long hair, which was usually parted from my face by two small French braid on either side of my head, was loosely bounded in an elegant low braid.

"You really should change your eyes to blue. They would stand out more." Serena suggested. She put on a pair of sapphire and emerald earrings followed by the bracelet and ring to go with her hairpins.

"There the same almond tone of my mother s bark. It is an honor and a privilege bestowed upon very few. Why would I want to change or hide that?" Insulted I asked.

"Nena, you know I am only teasing you. Your eyes are beautiful the way they are." She gave me one of her sweet smiles. "Come on, I want to show your mother the transformation." She garbed my hand and dragged me out of the room. My faithful book floated behind us.

"Story Tree, I have a surprise for you." Serena sinisterly whispered.

"Why my princess, don t you know that having you in my presence at this moment in time is a surprise? Are you not suppose to be in the Great Banquet Hall?" My mother whispered back.

"There was a delay in the schedule, but are you not curious to see your surprise?" It was nearly impossible not to keep formality with my mother. She liked the language so much, she dared not use slang or contractions.

"What is this surprise of yours?" Story Tree s curiosity was peaked.

"Come forward my friend." Serena s smile had grown larger than the summer s day, and her previous furry was forgotten. I slowly obeyed hearing my mother gasp. Even though she did not have eyes, I knew that they were filling up with tears of pride.

"My, you look so much older and sophisticated. Has this lady been hiding underneath the childish exterior?" Her voice quivered in the night.

"Doesn t she look beautiful?" Serena could NOT help gloating. I was her creation; something she had been trying to create in me for some time now. Finally, she had succeeded.

"Come back here you!" A ruff cold voice came from the trail. I made my book vanish in time to see a young boy running strait at me. I caught the child in my arms.

"Don t let him get me! Please, don t let him get me!" the small voice begged.

"A ha, I got you now!" A tall dark prince appeared in the trail. I hid the child behind me.

"Prince Helot, what is the meaning of this?" Serena protested.

"Ah, princess, you look as beatify as ever. You need not worry yourself with my planet s laws." He tried to smooth over as he reached for the child. I pulled the child out of his reach.

"What?" He was in shock that I had defied him.

"This child had asked for our protection, and my family s code of arms is "Protect the Defenseless and Those Who Implore Your Protection!" Defiantly, Serena stated.

"My regent, you do not understand that this child comes from the Gemini Empire. He is probably the last of his kind. My planet s policy towards these demons is to destroy them on sight." he protested.

"And my kingdom s policy towards his people has always and shall always be to welcome them with open arms, as I have welcomed you." Serena was an amazing speaker. She did not loose her cool. Confident, defiant, and intelligent, she would win this verbal war.

"Fine, as you wish. You leave me no choice but to..." he lounged at me and the child. Serena pushed him away with all her fury and strength. He threw her against Story Tree, and she lifted her roots to protect me.

"Nena, take the child and run! We ll take care of him!" I obeyed my princess s orders immediately. I garbed the child in my arms and ran with all my energy toward the crystal tower.

"Men, get them!" Prince Helot yelled behind me. Instantaneously, seven of his personal guards where running right behind us. It was at this point that I truly began to miss my boots.

"I can walk on my on you know!" the boy screamed. Suddenly, I realize how ridiculous it was for me to carry such a large child in my arms. I set him down without stopping. Still holding tight to his hand, I guided him to the only place he would be safe. My legs felt like two stiff branches on fire. I hated running from my problems, but I feared the child might be hurt if I stayed and fight. One of the guards shot an arrow at us. It pass between our arms and harshly landed a few feet in front of us. This was the drop that spilt the glass.

Violently, I turn to face them. "Nena Star Activation!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Black and white laces covered my body until I was left standing before an open book with a quill pen writing on it. This was my sign, like the four was Jupiter s. "You should be ashamed!" Like a proper scout I began giving a short speech. "You picked on someone that was smaller than you, and now you will pay!" I pointed my finger at them and screamed, "Quill pen attack!" Instantaneously, thousands of tiny pens left my finger and hit the soldiers. There armor was ripped off, but not there determination. They prepared to attack. I could take anything they threw at me, but the boy was still there, and Serena was facing the armed prince unarmed. She needed me; he needed me. There was only one thing to do.

I covered the child with my body so not one of the arrows hit him. With a little push, I motioned to keep running. We were about to take a short cut through the Living Labyrinth. The Living Labyrinth was a life size maze made of bushes. There were no signs to help you move around, and it is said that many people who entered are still trying to find their way out.

We entered it unscathed. We made the first right possible and then a left. We had fooled them for a while, but it would not last long. I touched my broach and detransformed.

"Why did ya do that?" His eyes were on me like two vultures on a nearby pray.

"They are looking for Sailor Nena and a small child, not Lady Nena and a small child." I calmly explained. His eyes turned to two burning coals.

"I m not small!" he demanded.

"You are smaller than me!" I protested.

"Yea, well, someday, I ll be bigga than you!" he retorted.

"I ll give you that much, but until then, you are still the smallest one here." I tried to soothe. I knew the boy wanted to cry of fear, but for some strange reason he had the necessity to act like a strong fierce creature in my presence. "What is your name?" May be I could win his truest.

"Sergio of Gemini at your service malady." he politely answered.

"You don t have to call me my lady or be at my service. You are a guest here like myself, and as soon as possible, I ll take you to see our hostess."

"What should I call you then ma am?" he insisted.

"Defiantly not that! Call me what everyone calls me, Nena." This answer seemed to please him.

"O.K., Nena." he smiled. He had such a sweet, enchanting, sad smile. There was something hidden behind those eyes that troubled him. Something a soul so young should NOT have to bear. The soldiers were getting closer.

"Come on, we have no time to waste!" I grabbed his had and ran strait through the labyrinth as the bushes parted to let us pass. Being the daughter of a tree does have its advantages. It seemed to be the most beautiful sight I had beheld in my life. Not only had we reached the Crystal Towers, the safest place on the moon, but Queen Serenity, King Guile, and Prince Darien were standing on its steps. "Your majesty!"

"Nena, what s going on here?" She said as she saw the soldiers cutting the bushes to catch us. She then laid eyes on Sergio. "Never mind, I understand. Guards!" Three dozen royal guards appeared at the entrance. Helot s half dozen threw their weapons on the floor and gave up.

"My Matriarch, Serena is fighting barehanded Prince Helot with my mother s help as we speak." I earnestly informed her.

"Serena! Where?" Darien seemed more worried than the rest.

"By my mother s side." I answered.

"Then, lets go!" Jedite ordered as he appeared in the scene.

"Nena," the King began, "I like that dress. You should wear it more often." Leave it to the King to be the only one to notice I had changed my outfit at a time like this.

When we reached Serena, her dress had been ripped by the fight, and my mother had lost a branch. He had his arms around her neck and was strangling her. My mother tried to separate them, but he had too strong of a hold on Serena. Darien s eyes filled with rage at this sight. His blood boiled, and his heart pumped quickly. Without a second thought, he threw himself at Helot. The two rolled on the floor like crazed animals. Helot punched him in the face. Darien returned the punch with a kick to the stomach. While Helot rolled in pain, Darien quickly stood up. Jedite proceeded to arrest Helot. It would be two days before we would know that Darien s kick not only immobilize Helot, but it broke three Helot s ribs (Helot and his people have their heart and lungs were humans have their stomachs, so their ribs are also there).

Darien approached Serena, who amazingly did not mind him holding her close to him for a few moments before he proceeded to yell at her for being irresponsible enough to expose herself to such danger. They argued for a half an hour on the subject before Serena had to go change (again) for the birthday ball. Darien also took the opportunity to go and change. My reader would be surprise to know how dirty a prince can get from rolling around in the moist soil of the garden.

The dinner at the banquet was exquisite, as usual. Princess Lita had been in charge of the food committee, and her variety of dishes was incredible. Prince Voracious had a field day, but not with the after dinner delight. The dancing part of the ball was a surprise to all.

The dance began promptly at nine. None of the princes tried to ask Serena for the first dance because they knew the answer would be no. Darien s absences made it understandable that he did approach the princess with an intention on dancing; the results were not what anyone expected.

"May I have this dance princess." Darien politely asked.

"I don t accustom to dance the first OR last dance." She politely answered.

"Would you please make an exception this one time." he smile sweetly and confidently. She knew her parents were watching her. If she looked at them for the approval, then all the princes would scream favoritism and a riot would break out. She had to make this decision on her own. Should she not complete her punishment and receive a worst one to take its place, or should she accept the dance and be humiliated. She slowly placed her had on his.

"I suppose it wouldn t kill me this ONE time. After all, you haven t visited in four years. I have to make sure you feel welcome." Serena said with a seductive grin. He took her into his arms, and led her to the dance floor. There, like two impeccable swans, they graced the dance floor with their talent. Serena was surprised to find a prince that could actually dance. All the other princes were to busy trying to fallow the steps to keep the beet.

Serena, as usual, had to dance all the other dances, but something strange happened. Every time an annoying pig of a prince would take her into the dance floor, she ended up dancing with Darien. In fact, the only two dances she didn t dance with Darien were the one she danced with her father and the one with Jedite. It was a mystery to her. She entered the dance floor with one prince, but when she came up from a dip or finished a turn, Darien would be there. At first she was frustrated by this, and for a moment, she doubted her sanity. This feeling quickly passed as Darien proved himself an experience well-rounded dancer. He danced the waltz as well as her father, and he was not thrown of beet by a Latino rhythm. He knew how to adapt to Serena s style, and how to help her adapt to his. In short, he was the perfect dance partner.

"This will be the last dance of the evening. The ceremonial opening of the first present shall take place immediately after. Thank you." Chad announced with an air of authority. Serena and Darien had just finished dancing, and the abrupt announcement left Serena with no time to hide.

"Shall we?" Darien gave her a fiendish smile. Unbelievably, Serena felt a strange sensation in her stomach, as if the angels had opened the Gates of Heaven and freed the winds in her stomach.

"Do I have a choice?" She complained not realizing the brightness and liveliness in her eyes. Those two sapphires shown with more elegance than the finest jewel ever created.

"Do you need a choice?" He said as the slow music began to play.

"It s always nice to have one." He took her gently in his arms.

"Fine, then you can either dance this dance with me or with Helot."

"That's my choice?" She gazed deep into his eyes for a moment. They looked so honest, warm, and inviting. Reminding her of the splendor of the rising sun, they forced her to listen to the lyrics.

The new sun brings me a new hope,

That you will be here tomorrow.

He will have a silver rope,

To clime to the moon I shall borrow.

With you in my eyes,

Life shall never be cold.

I only beg no more sad good-byes,

So my heart you would not have sold.

"Well?" She had not stop smiling or gazing into his eyes since he gave her the choice, but she also had not answered, and he wasn t a man of patience.

"I m thinking!" she protested. The chorus began to sing.

You are the ruler of my heart,

To you I leave my legacy of love.

You are the master of my heart,

To you I leave my soul with love.

You are the monarch of my heart,

To you I leave my kingdom of love.

You are the regent of my heart.

To you I leave my strength to love.

"Serena!" Darien whined.

"Well, by not making a decision, I have actually made one." She teased with a soft grin.

"Which is...?" Darien just needed to hear it from her lips.

"Darien!" It was her turn to whine. He gave her such a plead with his eyes, that Serena had no choice but to give in. Her eyes fell upon the floor as a blush fell upon her cheeks. "I chose you." The song ended, and everyone clapped. Some of the older women cried a bit due to the fund memories the song brought to them.

"The gift opening is about to begin. Would you please take your seats." Chad really loved his position of power. Serena gave Darien her famous bow, and he responded with the classic prince bow. As she returned to her table, he disappeared in the crowed.

"How strange," she thought, "he is sitting next to me, but he has gone to the other end of the room." Serena took her place at her mother s right side. The room had the tables set up in a u-shape. The main table was at the center. This table face the columns of the entrance of the ball room. Here were seated in the middle King Guile, Queen Serenity and the princess, in that order. To the left of the king, Royal physician Andrew, General of the Royal Moon Army Jedite, General of the Royal Moon Air Force Malachite, General of the Lunar Star Navy Nephrite, and General of the Lunar National Guard Zoisite were seated. On Serena s right, seated first was Prince Darien of Earth followed by Princess Mina of Venus, Princess Ray of Mars, Princes Lita of Jupiter, and Princess Lady Aims of Mercury. The other tables were placed facing each other. Families and close friends were seated close to each other. Between these tables was the dance floor. It was a perfect square that was the size of four Olympic size swimming pools. The band was behind the right side of the main table, and Sir Chad was always invited to sit with the princesses. Strangely, he refused every time.

In the confusion of the seating, I enter the room through the hidden door behind the band. Cautiously I sat in Darien s seat. "I hope you are happy because I m not!" I began.

"Yes I am. Smile, you are a princess now." she teased.

"Nena, is that you?" Venus questioned in surprise.

"Yes, it is."

"What s going on? Who s she?" Jupiter turned to face us. "Nena?"

"What?" This was becoming a bit annoying.

"Oh my God, Aims, Ray, look. Nena is out of uniform!" Jupiter screamed in astonishment.

"Wow! This must be your first time out of uniform." Ray commented.

"Actually, it is the second." I corrected.

"Huh, when was the first?" Venus wanted to know.

"She wasn t born with her habit." Aims answered.

"Thank you very much for the complement, Aims. You know, just because my uniform skirt is the longest of the five, it does NOT mean it is a habit." I defended.

"Please, we all know that it was your mother that requested the change, but you could have changed the squirt when ever you wanted. Why didn t you?" Venus asked.

"If my mother asked only that I wear a longer squirt, and it is not excessively long, then I do not see a problem." I informed. Chad came over and whispered something in Ray s ear. Girls we have a problem outside. Jedite wants us there. If we need you Nena we will call you." She teased. It was no secrete that I was only supposed to fight if the Scouts needed help, otherwise, I was suppose to write what happened as it happened.

"What are they up to?" Serena asked when they were gone. I shrugged in response.

The lights began to dim and Chad began to speak. "The first present, by tradition, has always been symbolic. This year, the Lunar royal parents have sponsored a song, which shall be performed by the Girl Planets and the Loco men." Every one clapped and the music began. It had a catchy beet, the type that you cannot get out of your head for days. The Scouts appeared on the dance floor wearing leather skin tight outfits. Each was the color of their planet. The girls were full of make up so that only the main table recognized them. The girls raised their mics to their mouths and began:

Song

Chorus

You are aging by the minute.

You are growing by the moment.

Will you remember me when Time s net,

has me to Eternity sent.

Venus

Love fades in your heart,

Life has played her part.

To destroy is her art.

Her poison is in her dart.

Age is not a tart,

But a bullet in your heart.

Chorus

You are aging by the minute.

You are growing by the moment.

Will you remember me when Time s net,

has me to Eternity sent.

Jupiter

Thunder lights you sky,

Scares the grays away,

As you sleep or lay,

It is the watchful eye,

In your heart s bay,

Keeping you from night til day.

Chorus

You are aging by the minute.

You are growing by the moment.

Will you remember me when Time s net,

has me to Eternity sent.

Mars

Fire burning bright,

The ashes of time do light

For your heart s content.

Your rules lay unbent

As your heart lays untouched

By love or such.

Chorus

You are aging by the minute.

You are growing by the moment.

Will you remember me when Time s net,

has me to Eternity sent.

Mercury

From Vapor to Solid,

On your life he has bid,

And Time his work did.

I stand before you here,

In the range of your ear,

Do not let time become your fear!

Coors

You are aging by the minute.

You are growing by the moment.

Will you remember me when Time s net,

has me to Eternity sent.

Two dark figures appear. They were wearing baggy pants with shirts that were three sizes two big for them. They had sunglasses and long gold chains for jewelry. The lights began to focus on them.

"By the stars, isn t the blond one Jedite?" Nephrite asked shocked.

"Yes, but who is the one with the dark hair?" Serena was trying to get a good look at the stranger. "He looks oddly familiar." Serena felt her heart skip a jump. That was Tuxedo Mask. She was sure of it.

"Could it be because he is a prince?" Nephrite asked in his informal way.

"A prince?" Serena was not sure who to believe, her heart or her mind.

"Darien of Earth to be exact." Nephrite said with a grin as he walked away.

"Darien? How could I ve been so blind. Why did I see him in Darien? Could I miss him THAT much?" Serena wondered to herself. They began.

Rap

Jedite

Today you are thirteen,

Tomorrow fourteen,

What has time done,

To make you love none.

Darien

Let time scream,

Let time dream,

Your heart has only room,

For the one that shall go to the moon.

Jedite

If time doesn t get his way,

Then you I vow to sway,

For your hear I shall open,

And let your love use his pen.

Darien

Don t let time,

Buy you with a dime

When you are worth a lifetime

In your loves min !

Chorus in song and rap

You are aging by the minute.

You are growing by the moment.

Will you remember me when Time s net,

has me to Eternity sent.

The two rappers approached Serena to get the traditional kisses. Jedite went first. He wished her a happy birthday as she kissed each cheek. Darien came for his. She kissed his right, but when she went to his other cheek, their lips brushed accidentally against each other like a painter accidentally brushes a little too much blush on a portrait making it a masterpiece. Darien felt her cold lips burn his with a flame of passion unknown to any other. It was the same that had burnt his cheek in the spaceport, only this time it was not only his cheek that was burning. Serena, on the other hand, lost all strength for a second. Her eyes wanted to close; her legs wanted to give way, and her lips wanted to surrender. She had never felt such power before her as the one she felt in the surface of his lips. "Are all Earth men like this, or is it just him?" she thought to herself.

The Scouts greeted her with hugs and best wishes. She thanked Chad for working so hard on the song, but did not hesitate to mentioned that she did not like the insinuations about love. All he could do was smile. She thanked them all one more time, and then rushed to thank her parents for the surprise.

"I m glad you like it honey." Her mother beamed down.

"I would have preferred that family trip to Neptune that I ve been asking for, but this was nice also."

"Serena, for the two hundred fifty thousand seven hundred and twenty eight time, you are not going surfing in Neptune!" Her father scolded.

"But it s not just the surf." She began to complain,. "It is also the beautiful beaches, family picnics, no princes, Princess Neptune, and the beautiful ocean."

"Serena, no means no." her mother reminded.

"So alone General?" Malachite turned in surprise to see Zoisite behind him. The ball had been over for an hour, and he had decided to take some time to think. He was standing in one of the gardens. He was leaning against an apple tree and gazing at the wonder of the night sky. The light from the stars reflected off their uniforms, which were the almost same as the ones they would one day wear for the Negaverse. The only difference was that the colors were silver with gold seems and a golden crescent moon over their hearts.

"General, what are you doing here?" Malachite decided to answer her question with a question.

"I had nothing to do, so I decided to walk in the gardens, and you?" She knew her place quite well. Even though she was also a general, age and the fact that his position carried more weight than hers, demanded a certain amount of respect.

"The same here. Were is your brother?" If he kept asking, she could not repeat her original question.

"He is being scolded by the General." she informed with a defiant smile painted on her lips.

"Why?" It wasn t like Jedite to scold another general, even if he was the most powerful one.

"I ll give you one hint," Her smile widen, "if you tell me why you are so alone."

"Zoisite!" He sounded stern and powerful, but Zoisite didn t seem to notice.

"It was over a certain princess." She could always teas him latter, and she was not in the mood for a fight.

"Oh, let me guess, he is still too shy." It was his turn to smile.

"As usual."

"Where is Andrew?"

"Setting up for tonight. Some of the royals have gone out. He is worried that they might hurt themselves." She had her official tone in practice.

"And the servants?"

"Some are still cleaning up, but the majority is in bed like the rest of the castle." Her tone soften a little.

"In other words, we are basically alone."

"Yes." Her tone became very seductive.

"Then, why aren t we kissing?" He gave her a fiendish smile.

"Because, you are way over there." Her voice was soft and as inviting as the warm June air.

"Then, lets take care of that." He took two steps closer to her, slipped his hands around her waist as she rapped her arms around his neck, and kissed her as passionately and wildly as if this was their last night together. He tighten his grip on her. He wanted her as close as possible to him. He kissed her this way until it felt that their lips were about to bleed.

He began to trace a line of kisses down her neck. Subsequently, he hugged her, and she hugged him.

"I love you Malachite. I love you like the Moon loves the Earth. Always revolving around him. Never being disloyal, but using her power to conquer his tides." Her voice was trembling.

"And I you, Zoisite. Like the Earth loves the Moon. Never minding the pressure of her everlasting company. Always loyal, and welcoming her power into his tides."

"Only one more year, Malachite, and we can be married. One more year and not even my father s opposition will matter. I will be able to choose you as my husband. Can you wait that long?"

"I can wait until the moon turns to blood, for you. I can bear anything life throws at us as long as you promise me that you will never leave me." Malachite held her tighter.

"Only if you promise never to leave me." Zoisite held him tighter.

"I cannot live without you my love." His voice was desperate.

"Where ever you may go, I will fallow." They stopped hugging for a moment to gaze into each others eyes. Their lips met one more time, but this time the kiss was soft and patient. They savored every second of it. Nothing was rushed. It just flowed into the night as their love was proclaimed.

The ball had been over for a little over an hour. Darien had calculated enough time to change and to get to top of the tower facing Serena s room. Getting in there was a feet worthy of the king of thieves. Her door was guarded by Jedite himself. Under her balcony, there were two guards, and on the tower facing her room, two other guards watched her window. There was no other known way in, but Darien didn t need another. He had learnt long ago that simplicity is usually the simplest answer. He took one last look at his watch. "Five," he began, "four, three, two, one and..."

"Someone stop the dogs!" a voice screeched throughout the night. Abruptly half a dozen royal guard dogs came running at the guards under the balcony. As the guards on the tower took their eyes off the balcony to see what was going on, Tuxedo Mask jumped from the tower to Serena s window and entered before anyone could see him. Serena rushed to the window to see what was going on.

"Do what you have to, but don t hurt my puppies!" She ordered as a dozen more guards appeared at the scene. She took a big breath and decided to go to bed. She turned around to walk into the room only to see Tuxedo Mask standing by her bed with a red rose in his hand.

"Hello princess. Do you remember me?" He smiled sweetly at her. Serena wanted to faint. Could she have lost her mind, or was the tiredness of the day getting to her? Was this really him.

Darien was ready for anything she might do. He made sure she was away from her emergency button, a button that when pressed called two dozen guards to the room. He would use the speed he had developed over the years to stop her from screaming. She took a deep breath, and ran strait at him, hugged him as hard as she could, and fought off the tears. He had been ready for anything she might do, except this. He slowly returned her hug amazed that the woman who claimed not to believe in love between a man and a woman could show such warmth to a member of the opposite sex.


	6. Chapter 6

_disclaimer: sailor moon is a trademark of naoko takeuchi/kodansha and toie animation_

_The Ice Cold Princess:_

_The Moon Saga Part V_

_By Sailor Nena_

_Darien had hesitated a moment before he returned her hug. "God, this feels so right." he thought to himself, "This is how it should always be. Just her in my arms and the Earth watching over us."_

_"What took you so long?" Her voice was a mere gasp._

_"You haven t needed me until now." He soothed._

_"Haven t needed you?" Her voice had recovered it strength in the indignity. "Do you know how many storms I had to face these past four years alone! How many nights did I cry myself to sleep with no one to comfort me? Where were you?"_

_"The Ice Cold Princess cry? Is this possible?" Darien thought to himself. "And you survived all of them, didn t you?" Holding her face in his hand he began. Her eyes were two glasses ready to tip and let the water run down her cheeks. "Lucky tears." he thought. "If I had come every time your life was a little bit tough, then you would have never become the strong independent woman you are today. You would have relied too much on me and not enough on yourself. You would have become unfit to rule your kingdom." She seemed to buy it. Darien couldn t believe how easy that lie came to him. "Well," he thought to himself, "anything is better than the truth at this point." The tears had left her eyes. Their frigate beauty returned to them. Those twin sapphires had closed the window to her heart that for a moment had open._

_"Then, why are you here now?" Her voice was firm and but sweet._

_"Serena, you may not know it yet, but you are going through the roughest storm you will ever face. This storm has thunder loud enough to leave your heart barren, and your soul will have to wonder an eternity alone. My princess, I am here to guide through it, so you may reach the light before your heart becomes lifeless."_

_"Does this storm have a name?" Serena loved poetry and riddles. She knew he had understood that the storms she talked about were the problems she had faced. If this storm had a name, she had to learn it. It was the only way to understand Tuxedo Mask s riddles, even though deep down she knew the name."_

_"Yes it does. In the beginning, the universe was created in perfect harmony. Everything had a twin united to him, but one day, the thunder saw this and feared the power this union had. So it came down on all the creatures of the universe and separated the twins. The powerful Thunder thought this would be the end of that power, but the twins vowed to reunite. Throughout eternity, they search for each other, until they one day unite again..."_

_"You humans love that tale,." Serena interrupted._

_"And you Lunars love the red rose ...how did you know I was human?"_

_"You just told me. I guessed that since the tale was from Earth then..."_

_"You laid the bate." Serena took a step forward eliminating any space between them. She raised her hand to his mask._

_"Who are you really?" He pulled back immediately ._

_"I am a friend." He did not want her to know who he was. If she did, then he would never be able to get close to her again. "That is all that you need to know."_

_"Does this friend have a name?" She childishly walked towards him._

_"God, she can be so seductive in her innocent ignorance." he thought, "How I wish I could eliminate that ignorance with my lips, but no, the time has not yet come. When it does, I ll have all eternity to teach. Now, I have to awaken her desire to learn." He took a deep breath and gave her his most seductive smile. She felt her heart skip a beat._

_"What s going on with me?" she thought, "My heart never did this before." She smiled back and asked, "Well?"_

_"You gave me my name as well as my mission. My name is Tuxedo Mask, and my mission is to save you from the darkness of this storm called Loneliness in Fear. You are afraid to love, and that will lead to a void of loneliness in your heart that NO ONE and NOTHING will be able to fill." His voice was passionate and powerful. His eyes were filled with idealistic glory, and on his mouth was the seductive smile of success._

_Serena stood taller; her eyes were filled with the alluring passion of a new challenge. The red roses of her cheeks were in full bloom; she stood ready for the challenge. "But my dear Tuxedo Mask," She began with a tone of superiority. "I m afraid you are wrong considering three things. First, I love my family; second, I love my friends, and third, if you are referring to the love between a man and a woman, well, it does not exist."_

_The blood began to boil in his veins. "How dare she?" he thought. A strong desire to kill her and kiss her filled his heart to the brim. "I see this is going to take some time, princess." he lovingly whispered into the night s air. "Shall we begin at the beginning?" she shrugged in response. He stretched out his hand to her; she shyly accepted. With his suave use of finesse, he led her to her bed. They both sat down, and he took her hands into his. They were so cold, he could barely warm them with his larger more powerful hands. "I guess the old saying , cold hands, warm heart, isn t true." he teased._

_"How would you know the temperature of my heart, if you have never been there?" teasing ,she smiled. "My dear angels, am I really flirting?" she asked herself._

_"Then, let me in." He leaned closer, then whispered, "You are not afraid of having a real man in there, are you?"_

_She leaned closer so that their lips were only a few inches apart, and softly, as if she was talking to a baby, said "My father is in my heart, and he is a REAL man. If I ever let another in, I assure you, it will be a real man, not a boy like you." She never thought flirting or teasing would be so much fun._

_"Ouch, the flower has thorns."_

_"Of course, I m a white Lunar rose. Delicate in appearance, but..."_

_"Deadly underneath. Is there any taming for this wild rose?" They were still only a few inches apart. "God, give me strength to overcome this erg. I want her to fall in love with me, not the mask. If I kiss her, I lose her." he thought._

_"Would you like to try?"_

_"It would also help if she stopped flirting." he pleaded. "I won t try; I ll succeed. In the end, I will see you walking down the isle and into the arms of your true love." Serena pulled back and started to laugh hysterically._

_"I m sorry...but...but the thought...of me in...love...is just ridiculous..." she manage to say in between giggles._

_"This is going to be a long night." he thought._

_"What makes you so sure that I will fall in love?" She was serious now._

_"Because you can, so you will."_

_" I act because I can , Why I move, my best essay to date. Using my own work against me is not nice."_

_"You also said ...impulse is the power to create, so I am the power to move creation... "_

_"What, did you memorize the essay?"_

_"No, I just use the best definition of the love you deny."_

_"I see were you are going. If I define it, then it must exist."_

_"I see we are in the same level. You defined love as yourself, therefore you are capable of loving."_

_"The only thing that can happen between a man and a women besides friendship is lust."_

_He pulled the covers over her. "We ll continue this tomorrow. Just remember, you just said the relationship between your parents is based on lust."_

_She opened her mouth to protest, but he silenced it with his index finger. He placed his hand over her eyes to close them. Sleep soon drowned her. He kissed her forehead lightly, and with the rays of the rising sun in the guards eyes, he jumped to the top of the tower. "Tonight is another night princess. Be prepared." he whispered into the new born day._

_"Serena, wake up!" Queen Serenity screamed. "How can you still be asleep? It s your birthday, and there are a million things to do before the ball!"_

_"It s too early! Come back latter!" She whined._

_"TOO EARLY? Serena , is TWO hours after dawn. Those are TWO hours you over slept!" Serenity was screaming at the top of her powerful lungs._

_"No it s not! Is TWO hours that I slept!" Serena corrected covering her head with a pillow._

_"How can you do this to me today of all days?"_

_"Well, if we had gone to Neptune like I wanted, we wouldn t be having this problem, now would we?" Serena was cranky, tiered, and disappointed. Today was not going to be a good day unless she slept a little longer. Unfortunately, Queen Serenity was not having a good day either. She pulled Serena s covers off, grabbed her arm, and pulled her daughter to the floor. With a loud thump, Serena realized her bedroom floor was covered with rose petals of all colors._

_"Huh?" Serena looked around her room to find fourteen dozen red rose arrangements. There were two on her bureau, two on her oak escritoire, five on the rounded pine table, which was usually filled with fruit , snacks, and plans she discussed with the Scouts and the General about the kingdom, and two on each of her oak night stand. "Mom, is this your doing?"_

_"What? You mean is not yours?"_

_"No? I wouldn t have gone this far." she said as she pointed to her bed, with was covered with red and white rose petals._

_"I ll find Jedite. You get washed." Serenity ordered. Serena took a quick bow and headed for her bathroom. She opened the heavy mahogany door slowly._

_"Mother, I think you should take a look at this."_

_"What is it now?" The Queen entered the bathroom and gasped. Nothing much had changed to the bathroom. The bath tub was still as deep and large as an Olympic swimming pool except for a section against the corner designed as a shower. If you wanted to take a shower, the water still came down in the form of a waterfall from the wall. The faucet was still made of silver and gold. There were really only two differences. The floor was covered with colorful rose petals, and floating on the surface of the bathtub, was a blanket of red Earthen roses. "Serena, is there anything you would like to tell me about this?"_

_"I have no idea who did it?"_

_"I was afraid you were going to say that. JEDITE!"_

_"How may I be of service madam?" Jedite entered the room and made a quick bow to his regents._

_"What do you now of this?" the Queen demanded._

_"I only deliver, but there is a card in one of the arrangements." he informed with a wicked smile._

_"This one?" Serena picked up a white soft envelope from one of the arrangement. She opened it,_

_What do you give a rose that has everything on her fourteenth birthday? _

_Fourteen dozen roses and a floor of petals of course._

_To my princess Lunar rose, _

_Your Prince_

_"Serena?" her mother began._

_"I have no idea." she answered._

_"I hate to interrupt this mother daughter conversation, but princess, you have a meeting with Prince Audacious of Barbarous about Barbarous s Moon." Jedite reminded the shocked princess._

_"Oh, I nearly forgot. I ll join you both in the August Veranda. Could you make sure everything is ready?" Serena grabbed her morning dress and ran into the bathroom._

_"You need not ask." Jedite bowed one more time and exited._

_"So, Darien will you do it?" Jedite and Darien were walking towards the August Verranda. It was the oldest terrace of the castle. It s once white fence was now covered with a Mercurian rose bush filled with blue roses. The floor boards had that old comfortable feel of old wood. Its long rectangle with table with matching chairs were antiques themselves, and the wooden frame white dome was also tangled with the blue roses. The glistening sun illuminated the sight._

_"Anything that will help the princess, but...will he accept the Earth as an arbitrator?" Darien responded._

_"He has too. It was part of the conditions to have this meeting."_

_"To have Earth mediate?"_

_"No, to have the princess pick the adjudicator."_

_"And will she want me?"_

_"She will have to. She said I could chose."_

_"Jedite!" Serena called from down the hall. Both turned to face her. "Is everything ready?"_

_Jedite and Darien took a quick bow. Jedite answered, "We are only missing Prince Audacious. Oh, and Darien is going to arbitrate."_

_"Did you fill him in?" Serena asked taking an official folder from Jedite._

_"I thought it best you explained." He answered. Serena examined the contents of the folder. A quick smile escaped her lips. She began,_

_"Very well., as you know, the Barbarous Moon has been divided for two decades now. One have has belonged to my family since Barbarous came into existence; the other belongs to the Barbadonian royal family. The moon was divided before any scientific analysis of the terrain was made. It turns out that our half is filled with natural reassures, while the other is barren. My father gave me the responsibility of ruling this half for my thirteenth birthday as a way to prepare me for my future rule. All was calm until seventy-two hours ago when Prince Audacious placed his troops in attack formation at the Northern Boarder."_

_"Isn t that the civilian boarder?" Darien interrupted._

_"Yes it is. Audacious threatens to attack unless I give him my half of the moon. This meeting is to peacefully work out a deal without war."_

_"It seems easy enough. Are you going to do as he asks?" Darien asked._

_"So he can pull the same stunt when he wants something else? No!" Serena s heart was pumping; her blood was running through her veins as a land mower runs through grass. This was one challenge she did not plan to lose. "It looks like he has arrived. Shall we enter?"_

_"If I was dealing with your father, I might have been incline to be afraid, but I m not. You see, your father is an excellent Chess player, and he knows how to sacrifice a few pawn, but you princess, you value pawns too much." Prince Audacious was a handsome prince. His eyes were the color of the sea, and his hair was a light golden . He was well built and knew it. He loved to show off his muscles. With looks he did not receive a heart. He cared more about his hair than his suffering people._

_"You forget Audacious, I am a Chess master myself, and even the smallest pawn can become a queen." Serena was strong, confident, and insulted. The introductions were over, and business had begun. She was also quite aware of Darien s stare. They were sitting on the rectangle table. Audacious was a the head of the end closest to the fence, while Serena was at the opposite end. Darien was sitting in the center of the right side of the table. Jedite was standing behind Serena, and Audacious had a guard dressed in a silver uniform behind him. "Before we begin, I am going to ask one last time for you to pull back your troops and desist this useless game."_

_"No." Audacious responded._

_"Very well," Darien began, "Shall you place all your cards on the table now please? Audacious, please go first."_

_"Well, there is not much to say." He passed a folder to Serena and another to Darien. "Seventy-two hours ago, my troops , as you can see from the satellite photos, took their position on the Northern Boarder. They have orders to attack in three hours unless told other wise. Oh, and the people of the area have been told that this is just a routine practice and not to be alarmed. In other words princess, checkmate."_

_"How could he be so cruel?" Darien asked himself, "All those children enjoying their summer vacations, and he wants to attack? How can he pick on such an innocent child that does not have the experience needed to take care of the situation?"_

_"You are wrong Audacious. You have me in check, but not mate." A wry smile formed on her face. She slid the folder Jedite had given to her in the hall to Audacious as Jedite gave a copy to Darien. "As you can see from my more recent satellite photos, I have placed my satellites Conveyer and Castigator in orbit, and used them to send the Noxious Virus to any and all computer and electronic devise on your half of the moon and your entire planet. As of six hundred hours, your planet has been lost in the Stone Age of technology. In other words, checkmate."_

_"Maybe she is not so inexperienced after all." Darien thought, "After all, she is strong, independent, and intelligent. The only thing she is missing is a man for her to love and be loved by, but I ll take care of that soon enough." He took a deep breath and began out loud, "Majesties, this situation cannot continue. Audacious, you need to move out your troops, and Serena, you need to give Audacious the cure."_

_"Weren t you listening? This is the virus that destroys all the data in the CPU, not to mention every other bit of information in the system!" Audacious screamed at the top of his lungs._

_"Actually, I have developed a cure." Serena said with a wicked smile. Both men turn towards her._

_"You?" Audacious asked in disbelief._

_"Well, I created it, so therefore it was only fitting..."_

_"And you will give it to me under what conditions?"_

_"First, you must remove your troops from the area manually; second, you must promise never pull a stunt like this again. Third, you must give me your half of the moon, and fourth, you must grant me permission to set up military bases in your capital."_

_"That s out rages!" Audacious screamed._

_"Take it or leave it." Serena smiled._

_"I agree with Audacious. The military bases are too much. You are imposing your government on his and violating is universal rights. Besides, he has learned his lesson." Darien stopped talking and picked up a quill. "I think the only fair way to solve this dispute is to have Audacious grant Serena s first three requests in exchange for the cure and a promise that she will not attack his people in the time they are defenseless."_

_"I am not going to give her my land!"_

_"Why not? You were willing to take hers." Darien protested._

_"I think the agreement is fair." Serena stated._

_"Besides, the people on your moon will love the arrangement." Darien sweet talked._

_"You cannot do this to me!"_

_"Correction Audacious, I already have." Serena loved it when she made a grown man cry._

_"Do I have a choice?"_

_"No." she smiled. Darien gave her the paper he was writing on to sign, and then he passed it to Audacious, who was not very happy with the results._

_"Oh, if you do decide to break the treaty and do this again, just remember that I will not hesitate to send my new Herculean Virus to your planet. What this one does to your computers makes the other look like the common cold." Serena firmly stated._

_"Is this a threat.?"_

_"I do not threaten; I warn!"_

_"Well princess, I must say I am impressed." Darien said as soon as they were alone._

_"Why, did you not think me capable of pulling such a feat off?" Serena asked indignant._

_"I thought you quite capable. I just did not know you were such ..." Darien searched for his words carefully, "such a good chess player."_

_"Well, now you know." Angrily, Serena turned to leave as Jedite returned. He had accompanied the prince to the door._

_"On a whole, you did a good job..."_

_"But I made a few minor mistakes." she interrupted Jedite._

_"Yes," he continued, "you said take it or leave it. He could have left it. You never end the negotiations before they are complete. You also used one of our most prized weapons in this and left it useless..."_

_"I did NOT leave it useless. The cure I am giving Audacious is an untraceable, one time use only cure . No one will be able to use it again."_

_"You also revealed the existence of our new virus."_

_"Who would want to buy the cure for Noxious when there is a new more powerful strain in town."_

_"You also bargained for a useless piece of land."_

_"A useless piece of land that will ensure peace for a while, give me the reputation I want, and..."_

_"And what?"_

_"Our miners found diamonds in an underground cave that until five minutes ago was in Audacious s territory." Serena gave him an innocent smile._

_"You are a devil, you know?" he smiled back._

_"Anything else?"_

_"Did you talk to Darien about the flowers?"_

_"Huh?" Serena was thoroughly confused._

_Darien tried to signal Jedite by moving his index finger back and forth on his neck. Jedite saw the signal a little too late._

_"Never mind. I must be confused with someone else." he try to correct, but Serena was already trying to make sense of his statement._

_"If that is all, I will go see my mother now." Serena gave the Lunar bow without lowering her head or eyes and left._

_"You are an idiot!" Darien hit Jedite over the head with his hand._

_"Excuse me, why did you give her such a beautiful present, if you are not going to take the credit?" Jedite asked annoyed._

_"I will take the credit, but tonight when I give her present."_

_"You mean the roses..."_

_"They were just something I thought she would like to wake up to. Her present is this." Darien showed Jedite the surprise he had in store for Serena._

_"Well, you ve done it again my friend."_

_"It s elementary my dear Jedite."_

_"Mom, do you have a minute?" Serena came into her mother s study. She was signing a few document and ordering a new Guardian uniform._

_"For you dear, a lifetime." Her mother looked up happy to see her._

_"Is that time of the day." Since Serena was able to talk, her mother had set aside five minutes of the day to talk with her daughter. It could be a conversation as simple as what to have for dinner, and as complicated as Serena falling in love. The point was, not to lose touch with her daughter._

_"So, anything on your mind?"_

_"Did you find out who sent the roses?"_

_"No. They apparently were not ordered from the Moon."_

_"Huh?"_

_"The messenger said the company that sent them is on Earth, and they received the order from somewhere in the galaxy, but they are not sure where."_

_"That s weird." Serena took the seat in front of her mother. "I saw him again mother. He is real. He is as solid as you or me."_

_"Who are you talking about?"_

_"Tuxedo Mask." Serenity looked up._

_"Is he five feet six inches?" she smiled. Serena tried to hold back the laughter. She remembered begging her parents to measure a how high her shelves were, so she could know how told he was._

_"No, he is much taller and older."_

_"Funny, I didn t hear thunder last night."_

_"He said he was here to protect me from a different type of storm. According to him, I need to learn how to love ."_

_"And you do. Serena, I know you disposition on the subject, but I hate to think that you think that lust is what keeps your father and me together."_

_"Mom, I know you and dad have a special relationship, but..."_

_"Did he said how he was going to teach you?"_

_"No, but last night he began shooting down each of my arguments. I m not convinced, but he didn t do a bad job of arguing against me."_

_"Sergy, it was probably your unconscious mind reasoning with you. Since you will not admit you are wrong, then it took the form of an old friend."_

_"You really think that? But the hug?"_

_"Your mind playing tricks on you. Did he kiss you as well?"_

_"On the forehead when he left..."_

_"This proves my case! If he were real, then he would have kissed you. What better way to show you that love exists."_

_"But if we do not love each other, and he is only a friend..."_

_"I see were you are going. Don t worry. If I am right, you will know tonight. Lets change the subject. How did your meeting go?" Serena smiled in response._

_"Nice psychological analysis, Serenity. I m sure Sergy didn t buy it!" The Queen scolded herself. She smiled a moment at her daughter s nickname. Serena had begun to talk at a very early age with a bad pronunciation, and when it came to saying her name , Sergy took the place of Serena. Serenity had kept the name because it reminded her that Serena will always be hers._

_"Who sent the flowers?" she continued. "Could it have this Tuxedo Mask? Well, one this is certain; only a human would think of such a present. Only a human could have seen my daughter s likes and dislikes so fast. Only a human could have made her smile like that." Serenity closed her eyes to visualize her daughter s face that morning, that bright smile that gave life to the topaz of her eyes. "Only a human could have done that._

_"Who is this Tuxedo Mask, any how? Lets see, the first time he appeared was during the Benevolent Raid, four years ago. Serena was left alone." She stood up and walked to the window. She saw the entrance of her beautiful gardens; she also saw Darien entering the gardens. "No, she was not alone! You were here with her! Only a human could have done that for my daughter. Only a human could have returned a little of that brilliance that once was infinite in her eyes. Only a human could have touched her heart._

_"I can t thank you enough, but I also can t let you in and out of my daughter s room every night. Unless you are very careful Darien, you will get caught. I will not be able to protect you then." She turned to the door as it opened._

_"You called my regent." the boy that had been chased by Helot the day before asked._

_"Yes, how are you?"_

_"Fine madam. I like my new school and friends."_

_"I m glad that you find the Lunar Academy, to your liking. I need you to do me a favor."_

_"As you wish."_

_Serena was sitting against an old thick weeping willow tree. The roses seemed to have taken care of themselves this afternoon. Her eyes slowly closed with sleep._

_"This is how princess fall asleep for one hundred years."_

_"What?" Serena turned to see Darien sitting next to her. "Why won t anyone let me sleep today?" She whined._

_"Didn t you sleep last night?" He asked worriedly._

_"Not until dawn."_

_"That explains why you didn t hear us." he mumbled._

_"What are you talking about? Here what?"_

_"Nothing. So, do you really like the Wild Gardens?"_

_"No, I adore them."_

_"I thought you were incapable of loving?"_

_"I never said that! I said that I didn t believe in the love between a man and a woman."_

_"Then you are capable."_

_"No...I m too tired to argue!" Darien warped his arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her closer. She was too tired to resist. Soon, she was sleeping on his shoulders._

_"Sleep my gentle princess, sleep. Tonight is going to be a long night." He lovingly whispered into her ear. She slept for an hour with a gentle loving smile. He caressed her as she slept. A gentle cool breeze began to form. Because she began to shiver, he warped his cape around her. The cool air refreshed her eyes._

_"Huh, how long have I been asleep?"_

_"About an hour." Serena sat up and removed his cave._

_"My apologies Prince Darien, I must have been more tired than I thought."_

_"Prince Darien? What happen to plain old Darien?"_

_"What? Oh, I...I guess I m still half asleep, sorry."_

_"Then lay back and finish your nap; you didn t bother me."_

_"No, I m fine."_

_"Sure meatball head."_

_"I asked you to refrain from calling me that."_

_"What?"_

_"That!"_

_"What? Meatball head?"_

_"Don t call me that! Why are you smiling like that?"_

_"Because I got my way."_

_"Your way was to annoy me."_

_"No, my way was to make your blood boil, so your cheeks would turn that lovely hue of red." He slowly caressed one making her blush even more. "You know, you are very pretty when there is color in your cheeks."_

_"And you are very handsome when your mouth is shut."_

_"Now, now princess, remember your manners. What would your mother say?" Serena burst out laughing. She couldn t believe how well Darien had imitated her nana, who one day would be her human mother, so well. "You look beautiful when you smile. You should do it more often."_

_"And you look so gorgeous when you are not acting like an idiot. You should act like this more often." she flirted._

_"Hmmm, warm hands, warm heart." he said as he took one of her hands. He had kept this hand in his as she slept and melted the ice in her veins._

_"What?" Serena took back her hand. Both were warm. "They are usually cold." she explained._

_He smiled at her and placed his arm around her one last time. "Then you are the Ice Cold Princess, aren t you?" He pulled her closer. The angles opened the gates of hell in her stomach turning it into an inferno if emotions. He lowered his face onto hers._

_"What time is it?" With her last bit of self-control, she pulled away. Darien took out his pocket watch,_

_"Four o clock."_

_"Oh no, I m late!" She quickly got up and left running._

_"I m wearing her down." he whispered to the weeping tree, "I m wearing her down."_

_After being late to all her afternoon appointments, Serena sat now opening her first set of presents in front of the ball. These were from the planets that were not in the galaxy. She received fine jewels and pretty dresses, but nothing personal. The second set was similar. She opened the presents from the planets in this galaxy. The only that were personal were Neptune s golden sea shell pendent, Uranus s crescent moon ring, Saturn s star bracelet, and Pluto s full moon watch. The presents she received from the Scouts and the Generals would be opened latter._

_The dance began, and Darien claimed the first. She enjoyed dancing with him, even if she did not admit it. He was anyone s perfect partner. Gentle, adapting to her changing style. He even let her lead when he was not comfortable with the music , instead of making a fool of himself._

_Half way through the evening, she disappeared from the dance floor and the ballroom. No one had noticed when she stepped out. All the princes search the room like crazed wolves for her, but one._

_"Here you are! You know every prince here is looking for you!" Serena turned in shock to see Darien._

_"How...how did you..."_

_"Where else would you go but your room or the Wild Gardens, and since I can t go into your room..."_

_"You know me that well already?"_

_"Well, I was hoping you would come here."_

_"Why?"_

_"So I can give you the third part of your present."_

_"Third part?"_

_"The first was the rose in the spaceport, the second were the flowers this morning..."_

_"You gave me those roses?" she interrupted in disbelief._

_"Well, who did you expect?"_

_"Tuxedo Mask." she thought._

_"The third is this." He took out a small velvet black box from his cape. She opened it._

_"Oh, it s beautiful but..." Inside was a beautiful golden ring. It had a crescent diamond connected to the ring by a rose shaped ruby, and next to the ruby, there was a round sapphire._

_"But what?"_

_"I can t accept it."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Because it..."_

_"Because the rose symbolizes the union between Earth and the Moon?"_

_"No, because...because it..."_

_"It looks like an engagement ring."_

_"Yes."_

_"But that is the best part about it." He pulled out the ring followed by a long golden chain. "On your finger for love; one your neck for friendship." He placed it around her neck. "Don t worry princess; I will see it on your finger soon enough." he thought._

_"Thank you." Before she disappeared into the night, she took a step forward and lovingly, kissed his cheek._

_Serena had mysteriously appeared for the last dance, which she danced with Darien. She now sat in her room with the Scouts s and the Generals s presents in front of her. They came to her room after the ball to give them to her._

_Mars had given her a golden candlestick. It had a crescent moon as a body, and it was wide enough to hold Serena s favorite scented candle. She had also given Serena a silver sacred candle to go along with it. If Serena lit this candle and concentrated hard enough, she could talk with any dead member of her family._

_Mercury gave her an old leather bound book. It was the first edition of Love and War, A Moon Story. This was a collection of old Moon legends and Serena s favorite childhood book. It contained all every story from the "Rose Legend" to "Mysterious Masked Visitors." She had become quite interested in the last lately._

_Jupiter gave her a crystal globe with a bit of thunder and lightning inside. This was to help Serena with her fear, and because Lita wanted her friend to visit her home planet, she believed that this would be a good way to show her friend the beauty of thunder._

_Venus gave her a love charm. "If love does exists, it will show you were to find it." she explained. "This is the best present I can give you." The charm was a petal from a Venusian orange rose in case in glass. It reflected the light from the scented candles in her room like the moon reflects the light from the sun._

_Jedite had no idea what to give her. He wanted to make his present special, but it was not until that morning that he found it. He was walking outside a jewelry store when he saw a diamond broach in display. It was shaped as a rose and as brilliant as her eyes._

_Nephrite was very careful in getting her the perfect present. He bought a magnificent crystal bottle, and, on one of his missions, he filled it with star dust of different colors. "Anytime you want to make a wish, write it down and sprinkle it with some of the dust, and watch it come true." he had explained._

_Zoisite, understanding the stage Serena had just entered, gave her what all girls that age want. In a wine velvet case, Zoisite had placed the essential make-up kit designed for Serena. She had struggled with the Four Sisters boutique to give her the exact tones, and it finally paid off._

_Malachite bought her a Tuxedo Mask porcelain doll. It was an exact replica of what he had looked like four years ago. "This way, you will never be afraid of thunderstorms again, princess. He seems to be the only one that can ever do that." he had explained._

_"I guess mom was right." Serena thought as she looked at her fine old silver watch, "He was just a figment of my imagination._

_"Lady Aims? Why are you here so alone?" Aims turn to face the youngest adviser of Serena s court._

_"Greg, I did not here you come in." They were in the Crystal Computer Complex. All the computers that ran and protected the Moon Kingdom were kept in this room, and they were all crystal powered._

_"Why is the most beautiful girl in the ball hiding?" Greg said shyly. Jedite and Darien had advised him to flirt with her a little, but it was just too against his character. Aims was wearing a long sky blue gown. It was tight from the waist up serving as almost a second skin and loose from the waist down. It was the model of the classic princess dress. Greg, on the other hand, was simply wearing a tuxedo._

_"I m not hiding."_

_"Then, what are you doing?"_

_"I was looking at the kingdom through technological eyes."_

_"And what do you see?"_

_"Peace and quiet."_

_"Do you know what I see?"_

_"What do you see, Greg?"_

_"I see the girl of my dreams."_

_"Greg, you dream with every girl in the kingdom because of your gift of sight."_

_"Yes, but I dream of you more than anyone else."_

_"Why? Is my future so active?"_

_"No, because I love you."_

_"Greg...I...I don t know what to say."_

_"Don t say a word." He came closer to her and slipped his hands around her waist. He lowered his head and slowly kissed her. His stomach was set on fire; hers was flooded with emotions. Their lips burnt with slow passion._

_"I love you, Greg." Aims gasped. "I love you like I thought never possible to love."_

_"And I love you, my Lady. I love you more than a rose loves her thorns." They slowly kissed again. In each other s arms they found their passion, their love, and their happiness._

_"Promise you will never leave me."_

_"I swear upon my life." He took her lips into his one more time. They savored all the sweat castigating passion. It was moments like this that gave Lady Love all her glory._

_The fireworks began to crash in the sky._

_"Some one screwed up with the timing again." A guard under Serena s balcony said._

_"Shall we watch?" the other asked._

_"Sure. It wasn t our fault."_

_As the guards watched the fireworks, Darien leaped from the tower to Serena s balcony searching for his own. He had waited all night for this, and he was going to have some fun. Serena was not in the room when he first came in. He sat nonchalantly on her bed and waited._

_"Happy birthday, princess." Serena dropped the glass of water she was holding. "I m sorry, did I scare you?"_

_"I wasn t expecting you for another four years."_

_"Ouch, I take it you haven t forgiven me."_

_"No, I have, but last time..."_

_"Last time was a passing storm; this storm is not moving."_

_"Again with the same thing?" she whined_

_"It is my mission."_

_"Even on my birthday?"_

_"Even on your birthday. Here," he took out a glass rose from his cape, "this is for you."_

_"It is breath taking." she admired, "Thank you."_

_He was glad he had thought of it. He had to make sure Serena did not begin to compare the Mask with the princes. Other wise, he might get caught too soon._

_"Shall we begin?" Her shrug was the only answer she would give. They took their positions on the bed._

_"I want to correct what you said last night." she began._

_"What?"_

_"You said that I said that my parent s relationship was based on lust. Well, the truth is I think it is a combination of friendship and lust."_

_"A simple friendship plus some hormone equals Serena." he teased._

_"Not simple! A strong bond between the two. One that is unbreakable!"_

_"Love is the only bond that strong." he protested._

_"Love, the way you are referring, does not exist!" she complained._

_" Love is what makes the universe turn, Secrete Powers by Queen Serenity."_

_" Love is part of the human imagination to create strength, The Truth by King Altruest."_

_"The rest of that essay goes on to explain how it cannot be so."_

_"But that is his thesis...and mine!"_

_"You said it, thesis! It can be disproved because it is not a fact!"_

_"It can also be proven because it can be true!"_

_"Or false!" They were talking with passion, but not screaming. They respected each other s opinions too much to do that._

_"Why can t it be true?"_

_"Because if you are right, then everything done for love, the mountains climbed, the oceans swam, and the wars fought would be in vein. Besides, their had to be a power stronger than a simple living creature to do all these things!"_

_"You give people too little credit. You would be surprise at what one person can do when pushed to the limits."_

_"And what pushed these people? Lust? Serena be serious. If it was lust they felt for their women, then they would have found another to sedate their appetite."_

_"But people tend to want what they cannot have!"_

_"Then, why don t you want to feel love, if you truly don t believe it exists?"_

_"Don t you think I do? Don t you think I want to feel that passion that inspired countless poets and warriors? I would love to feel that emotion, but it doesn t exist!"_

_"You speak as if it did."_

_"Well, it doesn t!"_

_"How can you be so sure?"_

_"Because if it did ...then I wouldn t have to deal with these princes that are only interested in my Kingdom. They come and profess love; they treat me like an object. Make me feel dirty and worthless..." Tears were running wildly down her cheeks. "and just plain old stupid for ever believing in love."_

_Tuxedo Mask took her into his arms. A desire to kill every single prince that had ever came in contact with her hit him like an ax. "But you weren t. Just believe and you will find it."_

_"Where? Among those princes? You ll sooner find a needle in a haystack!"_

_"They can t all be that bad."_

_"There is one that is different, but he is as annoying as a fly!"_

_"Who?" As he did not know._

_"Your prince!"_

_"His majesty Darien? And all this time I thought he was loved by the ladies."_

_"He is immature, annoying, selfish, egotistical..."_

_"And you are in love with him." he said with a smile._

_"And you ve lost it!" She dried her tears as he stood up. He pulled her covers around her._

_"Sweet dreams my princess, and I haven t. You are just in love with him."_

_"You re crazy!" she said indignant. He closed her eyes, and with the first rays of light in the guards eyes, he jumped out the balcony._

_"Yes, crazily in love with you!" He confessed from the top of the other tower, "Be prepared for this war of the hearts, princess, because I plan to take no prisoners_


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: Silor Moon is a trademark of TOEI ANIMATION + NAOKO TEKEUCHI/KODANSHA_

_The Ice Cold Princess:_

_The Moon Saga Part VI_

_By Sailor Nena_

_"Wake up pretty princess." Serena turned in shock towards the male voice._

_"What are you doing in here?" She quickly pulled the covers up to her neck._

_"It wouldn t be the first time."_

_"But much has change since then." Serena looked at the door. It was locked as she had suspected. "You have to the count of five to leave the room, or I ll start screaming!"_

_"You wouldn t dare."_

_"One, two, three, four, five Dad, there is a strange man in my room!"_

_King Guile, Prince Darien, and General Jedite were walking towards Serena s room._

_"Finally, the last day of the celebration!" King Guile exclaimed. "I thought it would never come."_

_"Yes, and with this end comes another. Darien will leave soon." Jedite mentioned._

_"Darien, you shouldn t leave so soon. It would do you well to stay a while longer."_

_"At your request, I already move my departure four days."_

_"And what time is that? You ll just see the castle go back to normal and miss its real beauty." The King protested._

_"Dad, there is a strange man in my room!" a muffled voice screamed behind an old wooden door._

_"What is the meaning of this?" King Guile protested._

_"Shall we find out, sire?" Jedite asked ramming Serena s door open. All three men had their swords drawn._

_In side, they found a young prince with golden brown hair and matching eyes sitting next to Serena on her bed. He looked like a miniature king Guile. Strong and well built, this prince did not seem the least bit worried. At his side, Serena looked terribly annoyed and embarrassed._

_"Gilbert, what is the meaning of this?" the king asked annoyed._

_"I m sorry, uncle. I came to wish Serena a late happy birthday, but I think I scared her instead." The prince answered carefully._

_"More like an invasion of my privacy!" Serena protested. Jedite put away his sword and instructed Darien to do the same_

_"His majesty Gilbert, has always taken the liberty to enter your room without your permission." Jedite reminded Serena as he took her robe from its hanger._

_"The last time he was here was three years ago, and much has changed since then!" Serena protested._

_"I am afraid my daughter is right, Gilbert. You had no business entering this room without her consent." the king reprimanded._

_"But...but uncle, she is like a sister to me."_

_"It s still not right!" Serena protested._

_"Why?" Gilbert demanded._

_"Because much has happened!"_

_"WHAT!"_

_"Puberty!" Serena answered with all her strength._

_"And all this time, I thought it was because I came late."_

_"Like you could have avoided the meteor shower that stalled your ship?" Serena asked as Jedite helped her put on her robe. "I m not that spoiled!"_

_"Yeah, well why do you not yell when the other one visits you?"_

_"What other one?" The King demanded._

_"I have no idea, but when I arrived last night, I was going to wish her a happy birthday..."_

_"You never came last night. I tossed and turned until dawn, and I didn t hear a sound." Serena defied._

_"Maybe you were to busy listening to that guy talk to you about love!"_

_"Please, that only happens in fairy tales! Besides, I have no suitors claiming to love me!" At least she didn t lie. No one that had proposed had ever mentioned love. "You probably went to the wrong room!" Serena got up and stormed out of her room. She went straight down towards Darien s room and stopped three doors before his. The men followed indignant. "How is my favorite princess?" Serena asked in a voice full of tenderness, fitting of a mother. The men entered inside in time to see her take into her arms a one year old babe._

_She was startled at first. She took some of Serena s hair into her hands, and then she took her own. It was obvious that she wasn t use to seeing blond strait hair. She had beautiful black curly hair and dark green eyes. They were two emeralds shining with delight as she finally recognized Serena. "Moonie falls!" She screeched in delight, "Moonie falls me too."_

_"Lets see..." Serena quickly examined the length of the girls hair, "enough for the moons but not for the water falls." The child folded her arms and pouted,_

_"But I want Moonie Falls!"_

_"Serene, you know better than to scream like that!" Gilbert reprimanded._

_"Gilbert please! You don t have to be soo mean!" Serena reprimanded._

_"Gilbert? What ever happened to Gill?" He asked indignant._

_"You lost that privilege when you came into my room without permission!"_

_"Will you two stop it! You re cousins, and might one day be married!" The King screamed._

_"When hell freezes over!" Gilbert responded._

_"When the angels lose their wings!" Serena added. "Come on Serene. Lets take a bath." Serena stormed out of the room with the baby in her arms._

_"Are you insinuating something by that?" Gilbert followed her out._

_"I would hate to see those two married." Darien said frankly. His heart had shattered when he heard the king scream._

_"So would I." the king agreed. "That is why I teased them about it. They would never agree to it."_

_"I can see it now." Jedite began to joke, "The moon will be in turmoil as the new king tries to save his hide from the queen s newest mood swing." Gilbert stormed passed the door and continued to his room. It was obvious that his mood was not a good one._

_"Serena! Won t you ever give me any pleasure?"_

_"Oh, hello nana. What s wrong?"_

_"What s wrong? WHAT S WRONG? I ll tell you what is wrong! You never let me pamper you any more!" She looked around the room for something to do. The bed was perfectly made; Serena s bed clothes were hidden correctly behind her pillows. Serena, herself, was fully dressed and ready. She sat in front of her vanity mirror with Serene on her lap. She carefully brushed her hair and began to place it into two balls on the baby s head._

_"Well you know what my mother says, Don t let anyone do anything for you, if you can do it yourself! "_

_"Yes, but I am quite sure she would not mind me brushing your hair once in a while."_

_"Or me, for that matter!" They both turn to see Luna enter the room._

_"Luna!" Serene giggled in delight. "Gi me kiddy lov !" Serene opened her arms wide. Luna jumped on her lap and began to kiss her as Serene hugged her._

_"My, how have you grown!" Luna exclaimed. "When your mother last brought you, you could only try and grab Serena s falls. Now, you have moons of your own."_

_"She could have falls too, but I don t want to blow out her hair so soon." Serena mentioned._

_"You hear that, princess? You are going to have curly falls" Luna smiled at the child._

_"Curly falls! Curly falls" Serene clapped in delight._

_"Well, now is time for our big day together." Serena placed the brush down, "We are going to start in the Placid Gardens." Serene laughed in approval._

_"Hey, you have Serena s meatballs." Darien said as he picked up a small baby into his arms. "Where is your momy kiddo?"_

_"In ta Stars." She giggled._

_"And where is the person that is supposed to be taking care of you?" She turned around and looked for somebody. When she failed to find her, she began to wail. "Don t cry, honey." He began to soothe. "Here." He began to toss her in the air. Giggles soon drown her voice. Her emerald eyes shown with delight._

_"Serene!" Serena screamed in shock. She ran toward Darien and took her from his arms. "You scared me for a moment. Don t ever disappear like that again, all right?"_

_"But, the big monsta waz going to et me!" Serene protested._

_"Big monster? Oh, you mean Voracious. No, he will not eat you because you are too fast for him, but next time warn me when you are going to disappear. I do not need any more heart attacks."_

_"Serry's boyfriend." Serene pointed to Darien._

_"What? No!" Serena replied a bit embarrassed. The color began to rise to her cheeks; her sapphire eyes twinkled with life. She had never looked more ravishing, to Darien._

_"Does the idea bother you THAT much, princess?" Darien took a step closer to them. He raised his fingers to Serene s belly and tickled her; she laughed in delight. "Well?"_

_"What idea?"_

_"That someone thought I was your boyfriend."_

_"I am not that self conscious to let what others believe bother me, but I do NOT want Serene to have incorrect information about anything."_

_"You mean, you tell her that all the princes are monsters so you will not have to share her with us."_

_"No, the incident with Voracious was a different story."_

_"Really?"_

_"Serene was picking a berry from one of the bushes when he accidentally mistook her fingers for raspberries..."_

_"Did he bite her?"_

_"I did not give him time!" She laughed as she remembered hitting Voracious over the head to make him drop Serene. Darien took another step forward. Serene raised her arms toward him; obeying, he picked her up. She grabbed a chunk of his hair and played with it._

_"Hey, someone else who likes my hair as much as I do!" Darien teased._

_"Just be grateful she doesn t really like it."_

_"What makes you say...AAAAAHHHHHHH!"_

_"I guess I was wrong!" Serena laughed as Serene pulled Darien s hair with all her might._

_"Mine!" She screamed. Serena took her into her arms in a defensive posture. There was no way she was going to let Darien yell at Serene. "Serry s hair black! Me want!" The child wailed. Darien took out a small dagger from the back of his boot and cut off a locket of his hair._

_"Here you go." Serene took it in delight._

_"That was the same thing I did this morning to calm her down." Serena thought, "How can a man be so understanding?" Serene pulled a blond locket from her pocket and joined the two._

_"Cee," she giggled, "Serry s hair black!" Darien felt the two lockets; they were similarly soft and delicate. "Serry kiss her boyfriend tank you now?" The babe asked innocently._

_"Serene! I told you he isn t my boyfriend!" Serena reprimanded softly._

_"Why don t you kiss me thank you, Serene?" Darien tickled her belly once more._

_"O.K." She placed her lips on his cheek. "Kiddy lov !" She clapped after she was done. "Now you kiss Serry thank you!"_

_"Hey, you little cheater!" Serena tickled, "Why don t you kiss me yourself?"_

_"Out of kishes!" She shrugged._

_"Well, I m not!" Darien exclaimed. He kissed Serena s soft smooth cheek, but when he went to kiss the other, their lips playfully brushed against each other. Darien stepped closer; Serena let Serene tangle to the floor. He moved his hands around her waist; hers were softly placed on his chest. The hearts beat irratically on the same note. He lowered his head torwards hers. "In a few seconds, I will have claimed those lips." he thought, "I just have to make sure she is ready." She was on the tip of her toes with her head as high as it would go. She was trembeling, but decided to go along._

_"My angels in heaven, what am I doing?" she asked herself. She couldn t seem to pull away from this trance. "This feels so...so...so good, right, and beyond my control. Angels, why have you opened the pearly gates and let all the souls of the saved into my essence?" They were only a centimeter a part. Both had given into the moment. They were ready to finish what they had started._

_"There you are, Princess Serene!" Darien and Serena turned towards the male voice. "My most sincere apologies for the earlier mishap."_

_"MONSTA!" Serene screamed in fear. She ran and grabbed Serena s legs. As an immediate reflex, Serena picked up the child and began to hum a lullaby._

_"Prince Voracious, I plead you to excuse my baby cousin, but this afternoon s incident has left her traumatized beyond my control. Please wait until the child forgets the...fright."_

_"As you wish." Voracious carefully eyed Serena. When he had turned from Serene to look for the princess, he received the impression that he had interrupted a brotherly hug from Darien. His interpretation of the scene would have been much different if he had not been assured by Darien himself that the only thing between the princess and him was a family bond. "Are you all right princess? Your cheeks are much too red, and your eyes are very glassy." He commented. Serena s cheeks were very, but not too red. They were filled with the healthy hue of excitement, desire, and life. Her eyes were not glassy. They were just twinkling with the elements that made her cheeks so red._

_"Yes, I feel fine." and to herself she said, "Maybe too fine._

_"Uh, hello?" a seven year old voice asked._

_"Yes." a strong voice came from the tree._

_"Are you the... the Story Tree?"_

_"Yes."_

_"I...I...the queen sent me to find your daughter." The boy placed his index finger in side his collar and pulled on it._

_"Nena, you have a visitor." my mother called._

_"Well, hello Sergio. How are you?" I asked as I sat floating in midair. The boys palms became very sweaty. I stood on the ground to see if it would help him calm down. He placed his right hand over his heart and bent forward. I recognized this as the royal Gemini bow. Queen Serenity must have taught it to him. With out looking up, he began,_

_"The queen wishes to know if there really is a man named Tuxedo Mask entering her daughter s room at night, and if there is, who is it?"_

_"Tell the queen," I began very indignant, "that she knows very well my vows. No one is to know what I have written, until the story is finished. She also knows that I cannot interfere with their lives, so if there was such a person, I could not open my mouth."_

_"But...but..." he began to protest, "the queen has been so nice to me. You can t sent me empty handed."_

_"Offer your services in a different light." I replied sternly._

_"Different light? What do you mean?" he asked confused._

_"This riddle, you must solve on your own." I took the opportunity to vanish into thin air._

_"Is she always like this?"_

_"Give her time." my mother answered._

_Darien was putting the last touches on his out fit. The ball would begin in a few hours, and he did not wish to be late. He touched the burning spot on his lips that Serena s breath had kissed. "If only that annoying little brat had NOT interrupted us, I wouldn t be alone at this moment." he thought. He could still taste her total submission to him. "She was ready; I know she was! The only good thing about the interruption is that it prevented confusion. If her emotions had flooded her like the forty rainy days flooded the Earth, then she might call it lust and run away scared._

_"But, was it lust? What am I saying? It was too powerful to be just lust! If it was, I wouldn t have taken so long to kiss her! I would have ravished the moment! Forced her to me! But isn t that what I m doing? I m using a more tenderly painful method, but aren t I forcing myself to her? Forcing her to love me? But I am fighting for love! Love would not let me go the wrong path! "Stop daubing yourself, Darien! Don t be an idiot! Don t let victory scare you of!" He stood up and went out. "Serena!" he said in shock, "What are you still doing here?"_

_"Serene delayed me a little." She smiled as Serene came out of hiding behind Serena s legs._

_"Serry s boyfriend...upa!" She demanded._

_"Serene, how many times must I tell you he is NOT my boyfriend!" Serena lightly reprimanded as Darien picked her up._

_Serene giggled a "yea right!" She hugged Darien tightly and kissed his cheek. "You no monsta. You Serry's lov "_

_"Serene!" Serena whined, "I m getting angry!"_

_"Kiss her happy De!" she demanded._

_"Are you sure she will not turn me into a frog" Darien teased. Serena playfully smacked Darien in the arm._

_"Be careful I don t turn you into Voracious s lunch!"_

_"I m sorry!" He lifted his free arm in defense, "I ll never do it again!" He put Serene on the floor so she could walk ahead. Ever since she learned how, Serena s and Darien s arms where the only one s she would stay in. They began to walk when Serena dropped a star-shaped golden locket to the floor. It opened and began to play a beautiful melody. They both reached down for it, but Darien had the advantage of seeing it fall first. "Very pretty. Is it a gift from a handsome prince?" he teased as he crossed his fingers hoping it was not._

_"Actually, from a king. My father gave it to me yesterday. It is the golden locket from the story." She explained._

_"What story?" he asked as nonchalant as he could._

_"Darien, that is the second Earth related love story you do NOT know!" she reprimanded._

_"Well," he sat Indian style and placed Serene on his lap, "tell it to us."_

_"In the beginning," she began with a sigh, "princes and princesses were betroth at birth. They were not allowed to chose the spouse they wanted, so the question of love never came up. One year, a princess was born so beautiful and so charming that all the kingdoms wanted to engage her to their first born prince. Among the suitors was a an ugly old sorcerer. He ask the child s parents for the hand of the princess in the name of love, but they denied it because richer suitors were available. Torn with grief, the old sorcerer created a locket that played a beautiful melody. He enchanted it with an engraving, Love will enchant. Love will conquer. Love will shed the light. _

_"On the princess's fourteenth birthday, she was sent to Earth to meet her prince. Her betroth was not human; he Vastermarquian. They choose to meet on Earth because it was the only planet who did not sent a suitor. Her betroth was as handsome as the newborn day, and he made her feel adjust. The marriage was planed, but the princess was miserable. She did not want to marry her prince, but she did not know why._

_"The day of the marriage, she went to see the Earthen queen. She was never able to find her. Instead, she found an old passage in one of the walls. She went through and into a room that was filled with a mysterious music. An old magician stood weaving a wedding dress out of corals behind the table that separated them. Why so sad, princess? he asked, Today you shall be married. _

_" I know not why I am so sad. she answered._

_" Why? Don t you want to marry your prince?" he asked._

_" I fear the prince who waits for me at the alter is not mine! she confessed._

_" Then take this locket and search for the one who is yours! he offered. The minute the child picked up the locket, she was transported into Avilon, where time and space hold different rules. There she saw the old sorcerer, young and rich. Be mine. he pleaded._

_" Until the end of time. she responded. Suddenly she was dressed in the coral dress he had weaved._

_" When they came looking for her, all they found was her lying dead with a bright smile, dressed in a coral dress, and the locket in her hands. On the table the found a note that read,_

_To who this may concern,_

_Be happy for me, for I have found happiness in the stars. Play the song for my remembrance, but never shed a tear. For the song has me found, not lost._

_Your princess,_

_Serenidad_

_"The end!" she finished._

_"And your father gave this to you because...?"_

_"Because he wants to remind me to look for more than looks when I choose a husband."_

_"I thought it was because he wanted to remind you that love should be the main factor in marriage. I recall the story now, and you changed it a bit."_

_"Time does that to a story."_

_"You changed love in the stars to happiness in the stars. "_

_"Every culture remembers a story the way they want to." She reasoned._

_"O.K. How do you know this is the real thing." She turned the locket around to show him an inscription. It read,_

_Amor Echizara._

_Amor Vencera. _

_Amor Traira la luz._

_Darien recognized the writing as an ancient, dead language._

_"All this proves is that someone created the locket based on the story, not that it was the magician." He complained._

_"Do you believe in love?" The question threw him off guard._

_"Of course."_

_"Can anyone ever prove scientifically that it exists?"_

_"No, but..."_

_"Well, I believe in this locket in the same way." He softly caressed her cheek. She wanted to cry, but why?_

_"Have I done something wrong?" he wondered._

_"Serena! Darien! Serene! You are all very late!" Luna screamed from down the hall._

_"Chill, Luna." Artimis joined them, "They look like they are having much more fun up here."_

_"Gi me Kiddy Luv Art!" Serene demanded. The white cat jumped on the babe s lap and kissed her until her face was all wet. Serena picked up Serene, who was a little ball of giggles, and whipped her face._

_They were lucky no one, besides the king and queen, seemed to notice their late entrance. The food was delicious, again, and the dance exquisite. Darien dance almost every dance with Serena. Her long white princess dress shown magnificently in the star light. They twirled around most of the time, except when Darien made the horrible mistake of asking Princess Antoinette to dance. She was an annoying princess, who mistook a simple act of civility for a proposition of love. Darien had not known this; he picked her because she was the only one not dancing. This should have given it away, but Darien s mind was somewhere else at the moment. Three steps, and Serena was in his arms._

_"One of these days you have to tell me how you do that." she demanded._

_"What?"_

_"Suddenly appear as my dancing partner when I agreed the dance to another."_

_"Does it bother you?" He crossed his fingers._

_"Yes and no, it is very hard to keep track who I m dancing with, if you appear every five minutes!" she complained._

_"It should make it easy because you know sooner or latter you will be dancing with me. Why is it that you don t mind?"_

_"Because the angles has just sent you dragging and screaming to hell." she teased._

_"What have you been drinking, my sweet princess?"_

_"Nothing new, and you?"_

_"The usual. Why?"_

_"Because you just asked Antoinette to dance."_

_"So?"_

_"She will think that you have proposed."_

_"Very funny." He laughed nervously._

_"Why do you think she is looking at us like she is planning my death?"_

_"Because I made her dance with her brother."_

_"Try because she thinks I stole you." she corrected. They made a turn followed by a dip._

_"Are you sure that isn t what happened?"_

_"Keep dreaming."_

_"Don t worry; I will!" he laughed to himself._

_"Chad? What are you doing still here? You should be resting!" Ray demanded._

_"I CAN T! I can t sleep, eat, create, or..."_

_"It is just another block. You ll get over it. You always do." She reassured._

_"Not this time, princess! It is not a block; it is love!"_

_"What?" Ray screamed in surprised, "I mean, that s great. Do I know the lucky lady?" "So I can bash her head in." she finished to herself._

_"That s not the problem! The problem is she is not a Lady; she is a princess!" he sounded desperate._

_"What? One of those air heads stole my man s heart. When I know who she is, I ll hit her with all the strength the Sacred Flame will give me!" She thought before she began out loud, "Well, how does she feel?"_

_"I don t know! I tried reading her, but she is too complicated!" he was about to cry._

_"How can she not notice?" she asked herself._

_"I would give anything to know!" he cried desperately._

_"Do...do you want me to ask the Sacred Flame?" She swallowed hard. "After all, he is my friend. I can t bear to see him like this." she thought._

_"NO!"_

_"Why?"_

_"Because...because...because you may find out who it is!" he sounded defeated._

_Why...why is that a problem?" she was scared now._

_"Because...because... Ray I can t hold it back anymore! The feeling is too strong! Ray, I love you!"_

_Ray took a step back in disbelief, "What?"_

_"I love you! I know it might never work because you are a princess, and I just a knight, but...I rather never write another note again, then lose you!"_

_"Oh Chad," tears where in her eyes. "how could I ve been so blind? No, I know! I was too busy hiding my feelings for you that..."_

_"Ray, what are you saying?"_

_"I love you Chad! I love you more than I love the Sacred Flame!"_

_"And I you...more than I love my music."_

_"Oh Chad..." He silenced her with his index finger._

_"Just kiss me." They leaned closer and softly kissed. These were kisses of catching up. Catching up the time they had lost hiding. They were one now. In the past, present, and future, they were one._

_"Ray...hey you let go of my granddaughter!" Ray s grandfather came in looking for his granddaughter, and did not find a pleasant sight. He grabbed a nearby broom and began to chase him around the castle._

_"But grandpa, I love him!" Ray protested._

_"You are too young!" Grandpa reprimanded, "When I get you, I ll skin you alive!"_

_"But master...I love her!" Chad pleaded._

_"DON T YOU MASTER ME!"_

_"I never thought Ray s grandfather had so much energy." Darien thought as he saw Chad being chased by Ray s grandfather and his broom, and Ray running after the two. "I guess they must have confessed their love. Well, since the guards are busy watching them, then I guess I should watch the Princess." He jumped from his balcony to hers. He softy enter to find a heart warming sight. Serena had her back to the window and Serene in her arms. Serene was falling asleep while Serena softly sang her a song:_

_Sleep gentle babe, sleep. Tomorrow the sun will shine. Close those little eyes,_

_And open your soul._

_Let the dreams take you far. Let the dreams give you wings,_

_As the angles watch over you,_

_As the angles watch over you._

_She began to hum the song:_

_Sleep gentle babe, sleep_

_The angles will watch over you_

_The angle watch over you always._

_The babe slept quietly in her arms. Tuxedo Mask approach them from behind. He placed his hand on her shoulder; she pulled away in surprise._

_"It s me, my princess."_

_"You...you gave me a scared." she whispered._

_"Is she sleeping?"_

_"Like the baby she is."_

_"Why is she here? Shouldn t she be in her own room?"_

_"This afternoon s incident with Voracious gave her nightmares. This was the only way to calm her."_

_"I see I have taught you well."_

_"Maybe too well."_

_"Maybe we should skip tonight s lesson. I would hate to wake her."_

_"As you wish." Serena put the baby in her bed, and laid down at her side._

_"Why don t you put her in the crib?"_

_"I tried that, but she began to scream." Tuxedo Mask sat opposite Serena._

_"You ll make a great mother someday." he said._

_"Do you really think so?"_

_"I know so. The only thing you are missing is a man to love you and for you to love."_

_"Love between a man and a woman does not exist, remember?"_

_"Don t you want to bring your children into a warm loving home?"_

_"Yes, but..."_

_"Then you will have to love your husband!"_

_"Who says I will have a husband?"_

_"What? Serena, you need a husband to have a kid!"_

_"Not with today s science. A man is no longer required."_

_"How can you say such a thing? You ll have a clone, not a child!"_

_"The clone is a child. She will have the same genetic code as me, only she will be younger."_

_"And how are you going to explain why she is the only girl without a father."_

_"While she is too young to understand, I ll tell her that he is dead. When she is older, I ll tell her the truth." They were whispering harshly, and Serene nearly woke with their noise._

_"Wouldn t it be easier to fall in love and have her the way nature intended. A whole new being in mind and matter. Someone unique to this world. Not a copy, but a child of love."_

_"But the love you talk about does not exist!"_

_"It does! You just have to let it into your heart."_

_"I don t believe you."_

_"Would I lie? Would this child lie? The very reason she was created is the love you denounce. She was born into a happy home, like you were. She has two loving parents, like you. Don t you want the same for your child?"_

_"Yes, but..."_

_"No buts about it. After you learn how to love a man, you will understand that." He whipped away a single tear that had escaped her eyes. "You will learn." He closed her eyes and let her fall asleep. He silently wished that they could have another night like this one someday in their future. He could see Serena, a bit older, lying with their child in her arms._

_He laid his arm around the two. "We would be an amazing pair of parents." he whispered, "We would really now how to protect." He closed his eyes and saw Serena sitting on a rocking chair with a baby girl in her arms. Calming and soothing, Serena would breath life again into the child. He also saw himself with a boy. He would teach him how to throw roses and charm the ladies. Between the two, they would raise two perfect royals._

_The first rays of the new born sun began to peak in through the windows. He kissed the two good night and left. Once in his room, he changed into his pajama and got into bed. He would need his sleep for now she had no excuses to run. A devilish smile crossed his face as he thought with delight how his new plan would work splendidly._


	8. Chapter 8

_disclaimer: ok, you should all know this by now unless you are new to fan fics...Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha and Toei Animation_

_The Ice Cold Princess:_

_The Moon Saga: Part VII_

_by Sailor Nena_

_"Mmmm, I haven t slept this well in ages." Darien stretched. He slowly touched his lips. "Today, you will be mine." He leaped out of bed and dressed himself. "This beautiful day was meant for lovers!" he smiled. Jedite was no longer guarding her door, so, most likely, she was already up. He walked down the main hall, and when he reached the door of the dinning room, he heard a great commotion. Entering, he found the Lunar royal family eating breakfast on a square table at the center of the room._

_"Darien, will you please join us." The queen invited._

_"Thank you." Darien sat in front of Serena. With in a fraction of a Second, he had a plate of hot cereal, a plate toasts with butter, a glass of orange juice, and a glass of milk in front of him. Serena had not looked up once._

_"Will you excuse me, but I have some things to do." Serena began to stand up, but King Guile motioned her to sit back down._

_"You are not leaving this table until you finish your breakfast." Guile informed._

_"But, I m full, daddy."_

_"Tell it to someone that cares." Serena sat back down, and reluctantly, began to eat._

_"What are you planning to do today, Sergy?" the Queen asked._

_"I was going to take Serene for a walk."_

_"Not today."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Your father and I are taking care of her. She is our family too."_

_"But..."_

_"There are no buts about it." the King interrupted._

_"What do you wish me to do then?" Serena was annoyed._

_"What ever you want." the queen responded. "Why don t you spend the day with Gill?"_

_"When the angles grow horns." she sarcasticlysmiled._

_"Then spend the day with Star Light." her father offered._

_"You mean it?"_

_"Of course, just be very VERY careful!"_

_"Thank you!" Serena kissed her father on the cheek. Then she did the same to her mother, and began to run out of the room._

_"Serena say good bye to Darien." her father ordered. Serena rushed to Darien s seat and kissed his cheek._

_"Bye." She left the room running. Darien s cheeks blushed a bloody hue of red. Queen Serenity smiled to herself._

_"How is my favorite afternoon buddy." Serena asked._

_"She has missed you a bit, but she is as wild as ever." Serena was leaning against a stall and staring at a magnificent white stallion, who had a golden crescent moon on her forehead. "I wish you let me tame her, princess."_

_"Our friendship is taming enough, John." John was the royal horse keeper. He took care of every horse in the castle and trained them all, as well._

_"Want to go for a ride?" the horse nodded in response. "Great!" Serena began to mount her horse when Voracious and Rapacious came by._

_"Allow us to join you." Voracious demanded._

_"Not today, boys. I want to go alone."_

_"But we can t allow that." Rapacious protested._

_"But I want To be alone." Serena really wanted to spare their horse the trouble. Voracious had an over weight mare that could barely walk, and Rapacious s was so thin, that a blind man could see his ribs. Serena s protest went unheard. Both princes took their tortured animals for a walk. Serena thought animals were like people. This was partly because she had been talking to them since she was a child. She thought of Star Light as another friend. She had never tamed her, and when she had first seen the white stallion in the moon country, Serena had asked her if she wanted to come to the palace with her. Star Light had accepted the invitation._

_They walked slowly on a beginner s trail for half an hour before a breathtaking black bronco caught up with them. "Darien, I did not know you rode." Serena commented to make conversation._

_"There is much about me that you do not know." he flirted._

_"Like what?" she flirted back._

_"Like that I am a great rider."_

_"Really?"_

_"Really."_

_"Better than me?"_

_"Better than any of my previous opponents." Darien had learnt his lesson during his sword fight with her. She was a woman of many skills._

_"Want to put your skill to the test?"_

_"What do you have in mind?"_

_"A short race around the hills."_

_"What do you think Black Beauty?" The horse nodded in response. "We re game."_

_"Fine, we will take the main trail to the Lover s Bridge. There we will make a right toward the Dark Fairest. Finally the first one to reach the lake wins."_

_"Sounds like fun."_

_"Voracious, would you start us off."_

_"Sure. On your mark, get set, go..." The two started to run at lightning speed. They were neck and neck through the main trail, until Serena took a sudden detour. Darien followed her carefully. She moved into rocky terrain and rode skillfully through it all._

_"Where are we going?" Darien finally asked._

_"The other side of the lake."_

_"Huh, but you said..."_

_"Sorry, but I just wanted to lose those two."_

_"So you used me." Darien stopped his horse. Serena did the same._

_"No, I let you help me."_

_"You used me."_

_"Come on." Serena began again, and Darien followed. The country was wild and rocky. They soon came upon the lake, which was the sun s favorite mirror._

_"I tricked you, but doesn t the scenery inspire you to forgive me. The birds are singing, the flowers are in full bloom, the lake is breath taking..."_

_"You are forgiven." Darien dismounted and approached her, who had done that a while ago. "This is a beauty of a place. Why did you not bring Voracious and Rapacious along?"_

_"Because they would spoil it with their comments."_

_"And I won t?"_

_"You have some respect for nature. I trust you not to destroy this place for me."_

_"You trust me?" He took a few steps closer. He slipped his hands around her small waist. He was going to kiss the rose petals of her lips, but she pulled away._

_"A little."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because you have been honest with me."_

_"Have I?"_

_"At least, I haven t caught you in a lie, yet."_

_"Your expecting me to lie?"_

_"I find that most men like to lie."_

_"But I am not like most men."_

_"No, but you re not that different."_

_"In what way?"_

_"You will stop at nothing to get what you want."_

_"Neither will you." Darien stepped closer to her. He folded his arms on his chest and gave her a seductive glance. She was wearing a skin tight white ridding outfit. She had a matching white hat. He had on a similar black riding outfit, except he wore a silk loose black shirt._

_"I do have scruples."_

_"Really? I haven t seen them."_

_"I haven t seen yours either, but..."_

_"But what?" He stepped closer. There was no space between them._

_"Jedite believes that you have some."_

_"You trust Jedite a lot?"_

_"With my life."_

_"Look out!" He pushed her to the floor as a man dress in green tried to stab her. Darien grabbed his arm, and Serena rushed to get something from her bag. The man took out another dagger and stabbed Darien s arm. He screamed in pain and let go. The man turned to stab Serena, but she was a step ahead of him. She injected a strong sedative into the man s arm and watched him faint._

_"Darien, are you all right?" She was worried and scared._

_"He only got my arm." Darien pushed her away._

_"Oh no, you don t. You saved my life; the least I can do is take a look at that arm." She grabbed his other arm and motioned to sit down. She tore off his sleeve and observed the wound. "Stay still." She returned to her saddle bag and took out a first aid kit. She opened a bottle of water and washed his cut. "Does it hurt?"_

_"Not more than it should." Serena softly blew at the wound to soothe it. She took out a clean bandage and slowly, but firmly wrapped the wound._

_"Want me to kiss it better." she teased._

_"Please." he smiled. She kissed it slowly so it wouldn t hurt._

_"Thank you."_

_"For what? You are the one that gave ME first aid."_

_"But because you pushed me, I wasn t stabbed."_

_"Anyone would have done what I did."_

_"But not just anyone would have taken a stabbing for me." She kissed his cheek. "Thank you."_

_"You surprise me, Princess."_

_"What did I do?"_

_"You tended my wound like a pro."_

_"I have been taking first aid curses since I was five."_

_"But you didn t panic or faint at the sight of blood. I don t know many princesses that can do that."_

_"Blood doesn t bother me, as long as it is not my own. Come on. _

_"Huh?"_

_"We have to get you and him to Andrew fast."_

_"Can t we rest a bit. Being stab takes allot out of you."_

_"You rest. I ll get him on my horse."_

_"What?"_

_"Well, the sedative will wear off in a few hours. We have to make sure that he is in a jail cell by then._

_"I am not letting you ride with an assassin!"_

_"Who said I was going to ride with him. I m putting him on my horse, and I m ridding with you."_

_"You just placed yourself in the tiger s lair, my Princess." he thought to himself._

_"You re a lucky man, prince Darien. That cut was purely superficial." Andrew said as he rebandaged his arm._

_"It doesn t feel that way."_

_"It won t look that way either. It s going to leave a nice little scar on your biceps. The type girls go wild over."_

_"I guess it won t kill me." he joked._

_"So doctor, will he live?" the king asked as he entered the infirmary. It was a large room with two rows of sixteen beds on either side of the room. There was a large window at the end that brighten the plain white walls._

_"He s O.K."_

_"Darien, this is the second time I thank you for saving my daughter s life. Speaking of whom, where is she?"_

_"Dr. Rita is taking a look at her."_

_"I thought Darien was the only one hurt."_

_"The Princess hurt her wrist in the fall, but nothing serious. She ll whine for a while, but that s it. Dr. Rita is also taking blood samples for her research project."_

_"Oh, yes. I forgot about that. How is it going?"_

_"We have isolated a potent anti-bacteria in her saliva. We believe that is why she can use it to cure the rose bite. The blood sample is to see if she also has it in the blood."_

_"Interesting. So, will Darien be able to dance?"_

_"Of, course. I ll send him a nurse to change his bandages before dinner."_

_"Make sure she s a pretty one." the king teased._

_"Who s pretty?" Serena asked as she came into the room._

_"The nurse your father wants me to send to change Darien s bandages."_

_"Good luck finding her." she laughed._

_"Why?" her father asked._

_"Well, Linda is on her honeymoon; Belle is sick. Lisset tends to make the cut worse, and Pearl is a hundred years old."_

_"She s not!" Andrew protested._

_"Oh, 99 1/2 years old, close enough!"_

_"Well, we ll find one." the king encouraged. Serena walked next to Darien and took a look at his bandaged arm._

_"Did you get any stitches?" she asked._

_"No, just those bandages that are really thin in the middle to keep the wound close."_

_"Why do you have it bandaged, then?"_

_"He is too overprotective."_

_"Welcome to my hell."_

_"Hey!" Andrew protested._

_"Just kidding." she smiled._

_"Well, may I remind that the clothes the Prince is required to wear include extremely tight shirts. That might irritate the cut, or remove some of the bandages!" Andrew defended._

_Darien took a look at his tuxedo. It was perfect for tonight. "I will soothe you to sleep, my princess. I will scare all your nightmares away. I will protect you when you sleep like I protected you when you were awake." There was a knock at the door. "Who is it?"_

_"It is I." a female voice answered. He quickly put away his tuxedo and mask. He went to the door and opened it. "Hi, I am here to change your bandages."_

_"You?"_

_"Yes, me! Why are you so surprise?"_

_"Your father said a nurse, not his daughter!"_

_"Well, he thought that I insulted the nurses so much that I should do this myself."_

_"Come in." He stepped aside and let her pass._

_"Roll up your sleeve." He lifted his arm to show her that he could not roll it up. "Well, then take it off." Her heart began to beat erratically. She suddenly became very hot as her stomach went ablaze._

_"If you insist." He unbuttoned his shirt and carefully took it off. He sat on the bed, and she followed. She opened a white box with a big red cross on the cover. Slowly, she pulled out a pair of scissors; carefully, she began to cut the bandages. Her hands trembled a bit. "Are you all right."_

_"Mhm."_

_"He can t hurt you anymore."_

_"I know." she removed the bandages and took a clothe damped with water. Slowly, she washed the cut. "Does it burn?"_

_"A little." Once again, she softly blew on it. "Does it burn you?"_

_"I m not the one who was stabbed."_

_"You know what I meant."_

_"A little."_

_"Do you want to talk about it."_

_"No!" her voice was firm in its sadness. He lifted her face torwards him._

_"Now, why don t I believe that?"_

_"Because you are so untrusting."_

_"Serena, you shouldn t keep it all bottled up inside."_

_"Who are you? My therapist?"_

_"Better, I m your friend."_

_"After a while, you just get used to it."_

_"This has happened before?"_

_"Seven, this year alone."_

_"Who? Why"_

_"Something called the Negaverse. When I was younger my mother tried to explain, but it was one of those things were she didn t explain. My dad doesn t like talking about it, so I can t get an answer from him." Serena finished bandaging his arm. "There, all done."_

_"Nice job."_

_"Thanks." she lightly kissed his cheek._

_"For what?"_

_"For everything."_

_"Any time."_

_"Darien, would you do me the honor of giving me the first dance."_

_"Only if you grant me the last." She smiled in agreement._

_"I ll see you in a few minutes then."_

_"Where are you going?"_

_"Finish getting ready." Darien took a good look at her. She was wearing her favorite white dress with matching pearl earrings, bracelet, and hair pins. She had applied a light layer of make-up, and placed her hair in its usual manner._

_"You look ready to me."_

_"Darien, who taught you your eloquence?"_

_"My father."_

_"Well, he did a superb job. Now if only we could get rid of your arrogance and bad looks, we could make a decent Prince out of you yet."_

_"Hey!" he threw a pillow at her, which she blocked._

_"What? I was only being honest." she giggled. Her eyes had regained their life. Her cheeks were as red as the setting sun, and her smile could melt the heart of the Arctic._

_"It was worth the insult." he whispered._

_"What?"_

_"Your smile."_

_"Again with the eloquence. Well, I better hurry, and Darien..."_

_"Yes."_

_"Don t forget to put your shirt back on." She hurried out of the room with her heart beating like a wild horse. "Another minute and I would have never left. How could I have let him get to me? Why did I ask him to dance?_

_"As a thank you." she reminded herself. "He saved my life, so I asked him to dance. Besides, I rather dance with him than any of the other two-left feet princes. Is that such a crime?"_

_Darien and Serena sat next to each other at dinner, and danced all of the first thirteen dances. She was so calm and happy in his arms that she didn t want to leave them. After the thirteenth dance, they disappeared into the gardens. In the main garden, there was an old rocking bench hidden behind the ivy vines. This used to be her favorite reading corner as a child. Now, she brought him there. She did not understand why, but she felt it was right. They sat next to each other looking at Earth. "Beautiful night." she mentioned._

_"Exquisite."_

_"Darien, tell me about Earth." He turned and smile at her. His arm slipped around her and pulled her closer. She leaned her head on his arm and placed her legs next to her body._

_"What do you want to know?"_

_"Everything."_

_"That narrows it down." They both let a gentle laugh. "Well, the days are beautiful with blue skies, cheerful birds, and colorful flowers. Nature is in perfect harmony with the world, and at night, our skies are blessed by the moon. That beautiful white pearl brightens our nights."_

_"What about the beaches?"_

_"What about them?"_

_"Well, your planet has allot of water. In fact, two thirds of the planet is covered with it. How does it look?"_

_"It is a richer blue than the sky, and more vast than your lakes. It extends from one horizon to the next stealing a bit of the sky. The sun loves to hide behind it, and its silky sand caresses your feet."_

_"It sounds wonderful."_

_"It is. You should come and see it some day."_

_"I will." Serena s locket fell open and began to play. She swiftly picked it up but did not close it. "Darien, do you believe in the story of the locket. _

_"I believe there is a grain of truth behind every story. Why?"_

_"I was wondering..."_

_"What?"_

_"Do you think it is possible to reach Avilon?"_

_"Why? Do you want to go?"_

_"I...I just want to take a break for a while. Forget about responsibility, life, my self. Just start over in side."_

_"Well, I think that everyone has an Avilon."_

_"What s yours?"_

_"This place."_

_"Here?"_

_"Yes, because it is so calm and tranquil."_

_"You say this after being stabbed."_

_"But look at our surroundings. We are in the midst of flowers and trees. The air smells sweater than honey, and the company is pleasant."_

_"Funny how two people can see the same thing and get two different impressions. This has come to symbolize my prison. I am trap in these flowers, air, and company. I can t seem to escape."_

_"I didn t know you needed to be rescued."_

_"Neither did I, until tonight." He lifted her face onto his._

_"Do you want to be rescued?"_

_"I don t know. It is a sweet prison." He lowered his face onto hers._

_"I can show you a sweeter one."_

_"Where?"_

_"Here." He took her hand and placed it over his heart. She kissed his cheek._

_"I m not sure I want to brave a new frontier." She got up to leave._

_"Afraid, meatball head?"_

_"I told you never to call me that." She turned to face him._

_"Why? Meatball head is such a suiting name for you."_

_"Darien, you re asking for it." She turned and left._

_"How can you leave when I just opened my heart to you? Why are you so afraid of entering? Why are you so afraid of letting someone in? Don t you know that this is the sweetest prison you will ever find? DON T YOU KNOW this is your Avilon?"_

_"Hello."_

_"Who are you, and how did you get in here?" Darien took a step back and reached for his sword._

_"I am a friend and threw the door."_

_"The door was locked."_

_"Who said I opened it?"_

_"How else would you have gotten through?"_

_"By becoming transparent." I touched my broach to show him how I could change into a gaseous form that was hardly visible._

_"Why are you here?"_

_"To give you a warning."_

_"What warning could you possibly have?"_

_"Be careful tonight when you go to see the princess."_

_"What? You know?"_

_"I know more than you think. I have seen and written all that you did with her. That is my job; I am Sailor Nena."_

_"You?"_

_"Yes, me."_

_"I thought you were that girl that was sitting next to Serena the night I...sang."_

_"I am also that girl, but that is not important. What is important is that you are very careful tonight."_

_"Why?"_

_"You will be observed by another. If you want to keep this from the ears of the Queen, take every precaution possible." I took that moment to vanish._

_"Sweet dreams my friends." Tuxedo Mask blew some dust from a green crystal into the night. Slowly, it fell on the guards eyes making them fall asleep. Tuxedo Mask leaped to Serena s balcony and went in. "That s strange. I saw her enter a few minutes ago. Where is she?" He scanned the empty room. The roses were still in their vases, a bit drier and darker. Abruptly, the bathroom door swung open and Serena came out in her white robe. The second she saw him, she tried to back away into the bathroom, but he did not let her._

_"Will you at least let me get dressed?" Serena was annoyed and embarrassed._

_"You are dress."_

_"Will you let me put on my night gown?"_

_"Why? I like that robe."_

_"Is there a point to all of this?"_

_"Yes, vengeance."_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"I have been watching you, and this afternoon, you made Darien take off his shirt for you. Now, you will feel the same embarrassment he felt." This was a little white lie. He had not felt embarrassed, just uncomfortable. He had worried about not pleasing the princess physically. But he had also enjoyed the opportunity to attract the princess. He had sensed her become nervous and excited, and it tasted like candy-coated victory._

_"First of all, I was tending to his wound. Second, I did NOT make him embarrassed because I acted like a nurse not a princess."_

_"How little you know men. To him you will always be a regent."_

_"Third, I was embarrassed too."_

_"Not as much as he was."_

_"Want to bet?"_

_"Fine, go change." He let go of her arm and she backed into the bathroom. After closing the door, she quickly change._

_"That s what I get for forgetting my candle. If I had remembered it, he would not have caught me like this. Who does he think he is? Just barging into my room, and preventing me from putting on a more appropriate attire." She swung open the door and slammed it shot._

_"Someone is moody." He was sitting on the bed with a triumphant smirk on his face._

_"And someone is suicidal, but you don t here me complaining."_

_"You just did." he corrected._

_"What do you want?" She sat on her desk chair facing him. Her legs were crossed, and her posture was formal. Darien felt a bit uneasy at these turn of events._

_"To convince you love exists."_

_"Again with the same thing." She stood up and crossed her arms. "Don t you ever give up?"_

_"No!" He stepped closer to her. "Tonight you gave me hope for the first time."_

_"I missed something, didn t I?"_

_"Tonight, you and Darien had a very interesting conversation that tells me that you do believe in love."_

_"You got that from a conversation about Avilon?"_

_" No, I got that from your respond."_

_"What respond?"_

_"You were afraid of him."_

_"No, I wasn t."_

_"You were afraid of letting him come too close."_

_"No!"_

_"You were afraid of loving him."_

_"Love doesn t exist! It is a myth, a lie...a...a.." She was screaming at the top of her lungs, "character in a fairy tale that was drilled into our heads by nature, only to greatly disappoint us latter on."_

_"You sound like a very hurt and scared woman." He took her into his arms. She pushed him away._

_"I am not hurt or scared. I am only capable of seeing the light."_

_"No, you are blind. The light is far from your eyes."_

_"Are you sure it is not you who is blind?"_

_"I have felt love, and I know what it is like to hold that certain someone in your arms." She looked into his eyes that were hidden behind the mask._

_"How do you know it isn t lust?"_

_"Because if it was, then I wouldn t respect, cherish, or honor her."_

_"May be it is because she is your friend."_

_"May be it is because she is more than a friend."_

_"May be, but..." she thought for a moment, "how many girlfriend have you had before this one?"_

_"Why?"_

_"Pamper me."_

_"Many adventures, but real? Not many."_

_"How many did you believe to love?"_

_"None."_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"I was attracted to all, but I have never said I love you to any."_

_"Not even to this last one?"_

_"She doesn t know."_

_"But, I thought that love, if it does exist, was all powerful?"_

_"It does, and you thought correct. It is giving me the strength to conquer her."_

_"Have you had any luck?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Then, how is it that she doesn t know?"_

_"Because, she has been hurt, like you, and I need to go slowly. I need to kiss every strain and every memory of pain away, and I will because I love her."_

_"How noble, but if she doesn t respond?"_

_"She will. I know she will."_

_"I wish you the best of luck, though I don t think you are fighting for a valid cause. It sounds like she needs a friend not a lover."_

_"May be she needs both. Have you thought about finding one of those?"_

_"A friend?"_

_"No, a lover."_

_"I do not lust anyone."_

_"But you love one." Serena burst out laughing._

_"I don t know the meaning of the word."_

_"It is the force that makes the universe turn. It is the power that moves mountains, and drives men to the extremes."_

_"That is a broad definition."_

_"No, it is the universal truth." He kissed her cheek and turn to leave._

_"Where are you going?"_

_"To sleep, my princess. While the sun works, I rest."_

_"Stay a while longer."_

_"I can t. I ll see you tonight." He leaped out the balcony and rushed to his room before the sun left the guards eyes. No one saw him except a young boy hidden behind the bushes._

_"So there is such a man. The Queen will be interested in this." Sergio said to himself._


End file.
